


Pokemon: The Alola Adventure

by SonicTitanic23



Series: The Pokemon Adventures [1]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sun & Moon | Pokemon Sun & Moon Versions
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Developing Friendships, Developing Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Humor, Minor Injuries, Minor Violence, Pokemon Journey, let the kids swear
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-29
Updated: 2018-08-21
Packaged: 2019-05-30 08:03:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 38
Words: 98,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15092564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SonicTitanic23/pseuds/SonicTitanic23
Summary: After years of traveling across the Pokemon world, Collin decides to move to the tropical paradise to take a break from training. Little did he know he'd be roped back into a new adventure, but he's used to it anyway.





	1. A good day to relax?

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! So this is an idea I've been thinking about for a very long time. Basically I want this to be a long project of this one character traveling around the Pokemon world, aging up and growing with the times. Why am I starting with Alola though? Because I developed most of Alola already. Plus it will help me in the future should I write other fics that take place in Kanto or Sinnoh. But all in due time.
> 
> Also I should mention that all the main kid characters (Lillie, Hau, Gladion and the MC) are aged up to be 18. As I said, the MC is someone who's already been to the other regions and has indeed taken down other evil organizations. So he's basically meant to be us, the players. Anyway that's enough rambling, let's get stuck in!

**Chapter 1-A good day to relax?**

Stepping off the ship was Collin, professional Pokemon Trainer. Known by few for such feats as traveling through multiple regions, captured hundreds of Pokemon, taking down evil organizations and many other accomplishments. Yet aside from competing in many Pokemon League tournaments, his accomplishments are relativity unknown aside from taking down Team Flare in Kalos. Which was good for him, as he didn't want the public on him consistently. However this time, coming to Alola was different. He wasn't here for a journey, he was here to relax. Exiting the terminal and into Hau'oli City for the first time, the heat hit him right away. Thankful for his shorts and T-Shirt, he made his way toward the outskirts of the city itself before getting a phone call.

"Ah Collin my boy! Didn't expect you to pick up!" said the voice over the phone.

"If you didn't expect me to pick up, why did you call me in the first place Professor Oak?" he responded.

"Well I thought you'd be still on the ship. But anyway, how was the cruise? Not too choppy eh?"

"Could be worse. Way better than the S.S Anne anyway. How's the Pokemon? They getting along well?"

"Of course! They are behaving very well and are getting along with the other Pokemon in the garden." said Oak, typing away at his computer. "Listen, I want ask you something."

"Depends on what that something is." replied Collin.

"It's about your mom. How are you dealing with it?" said Oak with a hint of restraint.

"Coping better than I thought I would. Still, hard to believe she's gone." said Collin, sighing.

"Yeah well she was a diamond. If there is anything you want to talk about, don't hesitate to call okay?" Oak began to look over notes about Alola before something sparked his interest. "Oh wait Collin. You know how I said your mom came from Alola?"

"Yeah?"

"Well believe it or not, one of her old friends is the Professor for Alola. Professor Kukui is his name. I know you told me you weren't doing a journey here, but you're going to be living right next to him. Might be worth visiting him."

"Yeah I might. Thanks Professor." said Collin, about hang up.

"WAIT COLLIN! Before you hang up, I have a request for you. It's nothing major but hear me out okay?" Collin briefly thought about it.

"Okay, shoot."

"Right, my cousin Samson lives in Alola. If you ever see him, ask him about the Alolan version of Kanto Pokemon? Remember? The ones that moved to Kan-"

"Yeah Professor I remember. I'll keep an eye out okay? Anything else? I'm almost at my house and I need to unpack."

"Nope that's pretty much it. Goodbye Collin and enjoy your break!" said Oak before hanging up. Collin sighed and continued his way toward the house. Along the way, his poke began to shake and a Poke Ball opened, letting out a Piplup.

"Piplup Piplup!" it cried out.

"You couldn't wait could ya?" he said, smirking at the Pokemon. "Sorry for keeping you in there for so long. Idiots wouldn't let me keep you out while docking."

"Piplup!" it said, nodding as if to say he understood. The two walked along the dirt path until they came across a house and a bunch of men and Machamp's with boxes. One of the men walked up towards the two.

"Hey, this your house?" said the man.

"Yeah I'm just moving in."

"Ah you must be Collin. We are just about finished her. Everything in unpacked, just need to take out the boxes. Now if you could just sign here and we'll be out of your way." said the man handing out a clipboard. Collin signed it right away. "Alright that's it. Thank you for choosing our service and enjoy Alola." The men and Machamps began to enter the trucks and drove off into the city. Collin wasted no more time and entered his new house. The house was fully furnished, like the movers said, and it had a warm atmosphere around it, making it very homely already. Collin went into his bedroom to discover a package on the bed. He opened it up and inside was a picture frame of him when he was just eleven years old and his mom, seeing him off for his journey. On the back there was a message that read;

"All Good Journeys Start From Somewhere." Collin couldn't help but get a bit teary eyed, but held back. He needed to be strong now. Piplup came up to him and tried to comfort him.

"I'm alright buddy. I just need time okay?" Piplup seemed to understand and let him be. He put the picture frame down and began to unpack what was in his travel bag and suitcase. From clothes, small items and presents from friends, it took him over an hour to finally have everything unpacked. From utter exhaustion, Collin collapsed on his bed, with Piplup right beside him and went to sleep.

* * *

There was a rather loud knock on the door that woke Collin up from his sleep. Lazily, he got up from his bed and exited the bed room. There was another loud knock which annoyed him. "I'm coming!" he shouted. Before he even got to the door, it opened revealing a tall, tanned man in a lab coat and wearing shades.

"ALOLA!" he shouted at the high of his voice.

"Arceus! Do you do that to every house you visit?!" shouted Collin.

"Sorry man, I heard someone new move here and I just had to check who it was. Anyway, I'm Professor Kukui. I study Pokemon moves and how they work." he said extending his arm out.

"Collin, nice to meet you Professor.....Kukui was it?" The Professor nodded. "Heh, good timing. Was going to pay you a visit soon."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah. Professor Oak from Kanto told me you knew my mom." Kukui stopped to think for a moment before his eyes lit up.

"OH! You mean Mary! You're Mary's son?! Oh Arceus it's great to finally meet you!" said Kukui shaking his hand even faster and harder. "Tell me, how's Mary doing?" he asked. This triggered something in Collin and he slowly removed his hand and looked down.

"She's......um.....well.......not around anymore." was his reply. It took only a few seconds for Kukui to find out what he meant by that. The light in his eyes faded and was replaced with sadness.

"Oh......I'm sorry. I never knew. She was a lovely person before she left to Kanto. She must have been a great mother too."

"Yeah. She was great. Mind that we move on? I don't want to talk about this more than I should."

"Oh yeah sure." said Kukui, coughing. "Right so welcome to Alola. I assume someone like you is here for a journey?"

"Actually I'm not. I've decided to take a break from that and relax here. It's just me and my Piplup." he said just as Piplup came out from the bedroom.

"Oh an actual Piplup! I've never got the chance to see one in person!" Kukui began to examine the Piplup, much to the hate of Piplup.

"Yeah. He came from an egg my Empoleon laid." Piplup slipped away from Kukui and jumped on Collin's shoulder. "He's a little shy around new people."

"That's okay. Say, why don't I show you around? There's a little town just north of us called Iki Town. I'm sure you'll like it." Collin thought for a while and looked at Piplup, who nodded.

"Okay, we'll join you!" said Collin.

"Cool! Why don't we go now?" The two nodded at Kukui's request. "Well then, let's get going!"

* * *

The three walked along a long dirt path, while Kukui explained details about Alola. They came across a couple trainers that were battling each other.

"USE TACKLE!" one of them shouted.

"DODGE AND COUNTER ATTACK WITH YOUR OWN TACKLE!" the other shouted.

"Ah, nothing like two young trainers and a Pokemon battle. It's great to see trainers start so young. You said you traveled right?" asked Kukui, turning to Collin.

"Yeah. Been to Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova and Kalos."

"Wow! You must be really strong! Ever competed in the Leagues?"

"Yeah. Only won in Sinnoh but I turned down being Champion. It's not for me. I have no desire to actually be the best trainer, I just like to travel and take on challenges." he said as they got close to Iki Town.

"Well we all have our reasons to go on a journey." They reached the entrance to Iki Town. The town itself was surrounded by tree and people were outside, playing with Pokemon Collin has never seen before. "Welcome to Iki Town! Everyone here is friendly so if you need any advice, don't hesitate to come to Iki Town. Speaking of advice, you should meet the Kahuna."

"The Kahuna?" asked Collin.

"Yeah. The Kahuna actually runs and protects the island. Each island of Alola has a Kahuna and they are always happy to help newcomers. You should look around for him"

"What does he look like?"

"Big bushy beard, can't miss it. Now I'm gonna have to leave you for a few minutes, I just have to look for someone. I won't be long!" said Kukui walking away from Collin. Collin took his time as he walked around the town, meeting and greeting people as he went. He then noticed a figure in the corner of his eye. A young woman wearing nothing but white was walking into what seemed like a forest trek, holding a bag that moved. Carefully, he followed the path that lead him to another long dirt path, leading up hill. He looked up and saw the figure again.

"Please, stay in the bag until we get there." said the woman as she walked further in the trek. This got his interest as he continued his way along the dirt path and saw the figure in front of him and a wooden bridge. The woman looked like she was struggling to keep the bag on her went suddenly, a purple cloud like creature came flying out of the bag. It seemed happy and floated across the bridge until a flock of Spearow began to attack the cloud. The woman screamed in horror. Collin ran up towards the woman just as she turned around to see him.

"What's going on here?!" he asked. The woman was shy and had trouble speaking.

"P-P-Please.....save Nebby!" she said. Collin nodded and looked at Piplup.

"Got anything to help us?" he asked. Piplup looked down and shook his head. "That's okay, don't worry. You stay here with the lady and I'll save Nebby." said Collin, patting Piplup's head. He slowly moved his away across the bridge that shook constantly. He looked down to see a fast flowing river with sharp rocks everywhere. He went as slow as possible till he reached the Spearow. "Shoo! Shoo! Off with ya!" he shouted, covering the cloud. The Spearow shot up into the air and began to attack him. "AH! YOU BASTARDS!" he shouted. Suddenly, a light appeared from under him and the next thing he knew, the bridge collapsed and he was now falling into the river.

"NO!" shouted the woman. Collin grabbed a hold of the cloud in an attempt to save it from the crushing rocks, until a light shimmered in the sky, knocking out the Spearow and catching the two, leading them safely on land beside the woman. "Oh my Gosh! You two okay?!" she asked.

"TAPU KOKOKOKO!" the yellow creature that saved Collin and the cloud said, dropping something and shooting back into the sky and off into the distance. Piplup ran to Collin and hugged the living daylights out of his trainer.

"PIPLUP! PIPLUP!" it cried out, with tears in it's eyes.

"It's okay buddy. I'm fine now." he said, patting his back. "You'd think I'd be fucking used to that by now." he said getting up.

"Swear!" said the woman.

"I'm sorry?"

"Oh....um.....sorry. Force of habit. Thank you so much for saving Nebby. He's quite the trouble maker." said the woman, bowing.

"It's no problem. I'm Collin. What's your name?"

"Lillie. My name is Lillie. Pleased to meet you Collin." she said, bowing again. "Sorry for causing all this trouble."

"Again, it's fine. Like I said, you'd think I'd be used to this stuff by now."

"What do you mean by that?" asked Lillie.

"Oh I traveled a lot and I came across a lot of things like this. It's as if danger follows me." he said laughing. "Oh by the way, this is my buddy Piplup." Piplup nodded and cried out.

"Hi Piplup. He looks like a well kept Pokemon." she said.

"Yep. Say, want me to accompany you back to the town? I'm supposed to look for the Kahuna, whoever that is."

"Oh I know who the Kahuna is! I can show you to him." The two began to walk back to town before Lillie noticed the object on the ground. "Um....is this yours?" she asked, picking it up.

"Nope. Never seen it before in my life."

"Well I think you should keep a hold of it. Maybe the Kahuna might know what it is. Come on let's go." she said. "And you, stay in the bag!" she warned the cloud Pokemon before it jumped back in to the bag. They walked along the dirt path, back to Iki Town.

* * *

As they walked out of the dirt path, they met with Kukui.

"Ah there you are Collin! And you found my assistant Lillie!" he said with delight.

"Oh you work for Professor Kukui?" asked Collin.

"Yeah. I'm mostly just making sure he's doing his job more than anything."

"Ooo, throwing shade at your boss, I like you already!" said Collin, chuckling a little.

"Yeah well she's pretty lazy herself!" said Kukui, lightly jabbing her.

"PROFESSOR!" she shouted, making the two males laugh, which she joined in.

"Hmm, what's with all the laughter and it's not one of my jokes?" said a loud booming voice. A large figure appeared in front of Collin with a white bushy beard, just like Kukui told him. "Ah, you must be this Collin that Kukui told me about a few minutes ago. I am Kahuna Hala and I welcome you to Alola, more specifically Melemele Island."

"Thank you Hala. The island is lovely and the weather is fantastic. And I've been to Hoenn twice and I thought that was warm!" said Collin.

"Ho ho, seems we got quite the traveler as you said Kukui! So what were you two doing on the dirt trek?" asked Hala.

"Um....well Nebby wanted to visit the shine here, but he got carried away and was attacked by Spearow. Collin jumped in to save him and the bridge broke. He was saved by Tapu Koko I think." said Lillie.

"Oh! Tapu Koko appeared to you?!" shouted Kukui.

"Is that what that Pokemon was?" asked Collin.

"It must have been my boy. Tapu Koko rarely comes out. He must have noticed your bravery and saved the two of you." Hala began to pace back and forth for a while, then a smile dawn on his face. "Say young man, would you be so kind to take a Pokemon native to this region, as a thanks for saving Nebby and meeting Tapu Koko?" Collin was taken a back by the kindness of the old.

"Well......I guess I can."

"Very good lad. Kukui, if you please." Kukui took out three Pokeballs from his pocket and handed them to Hala. "Alright you three! Come on out!" he shouted as he threw the Pokeballs into the air and out came three Pokemon Collin never seen before. "Introducing Rolwet, the owl Pokemon, Litten, the fire cat Pokemon, and Popplio, the water seal Pokemon. Make your choice." Collin inspected each of the three Pokemon, making his decision.

"I choose...........you!" he said, pointing at Rowlet. The owl Pokemon churped in delight while the other Pokemon returned to their Balls.

"Nice choice Collin! Now, here in Alola, we test to see if the bond between human and Pokemon is strong. Stand on the wooden platform and call Rowlet over to see if it chooses you." said Kukui. Collin nodded and went to one end of the platform, while Rowlet was on the other side. Kukui, Hala, Lillie and Piplup watched closely to see what would happen.

"Come on Rowlet, you wanna come with me?" asked Collin, bending down to meet it eye to eye. The Pokemon turned his head slightly and came bounding towards him.

"Hoo hoo!" it cried. Collin took this as a good sign and picked Rowlet up. "Hoo Coo!" it said happily.

"Well done Collin!" shouted Lillie as Kukui and Hala clapped at the sight.

"Yes well done indeed lad. You really do have a knack for Pokemon." said Hala, placing his hand on Collin's shoulder. As they began to ask a few questions about Collin and his journey, a teen around the same age as Collin was running towards the group.

"GRANDPA!" he shouted, hugging Hala.

"Ah Hau, great to see you. How are you?"

"I'm doing fine Grandpa! I'm full of energy and ready to go!" he said jumping up and down. He then noticed Lillie, Kukui and Collin. "Hi Professor, Lillie and........um.......who are you?"

"Hau, this is Collin. He's just moved here today from Kanto right?" asked Hala.

"Well actually I lived in Unova for a while but I do come from Kanto." answered Collin.

"Oh wow! That's so cool!" said Hau. "Hey, you have a Pokemon! Why don't me and you have a Pokemon Battle?!"

"As much as I want to Hau, I'm still a little tired from the trip. Maybe later tonight?" He was worried that he'd upset Hau but he didn't seem phased.

"That's okay! I can't wait to battle you. Someday I'm gonna become the strongest trainer in all of Alola, just you wait!"

"Heh, I like you already." said Collin, smirking and causing Hau to giggle. He then noticed something in his pocket.

"Say, what's that stone?" Collin was confused until he remembered the stone Lillie gave him. He took it out of his pocket and both Hau and Hala looked stunned. "Grandpa? Is that?"

"Indeed. You know what this means right?" He turned to Collin. "Son, will you be so kind to join us for a festival tomorrow afternoon? That stone you have is very important. There must be more to you than meets the eye of Tapu Koko gave it to you."

"Actually Li-"

"Yeah! Tapu Koko gave it to him personally!" said Lillie, cutting him off.

".....right. Anyway I'll join you tomorrow! Now I don't want to be rude, but do you mind if I head home for the rest of the evening? I'm really tired."

"Of course. I'll send Lillie to you tomorrow to bring you here. Have a good sleep Collin!" said Kukui as the others waved him goodbye as he walked down the dirt path to his new come, with Rowlet and Piplup by his side.

"So much for relaxing"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How was that? I'll try to have long chapters for the most part but they might not be all. Comments of any nature are welcomed and I'll see you in the next chapter!


	2. On the Road Again I Suppose

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back with the second chapter. A warning, I'll probably will not be constent with the uploads because I may or may not loose interest as the time goes. But I will be attempting to finish this fic as soon as I can. We'll be jumping past certain moments in the game so the story can flow better. But for now, enjoy!

**Chapter 2-On the Road Again I Suppose**

To say Collin woke up refreshed is an understatement, he felt like a new man, despite the fact that he'd been attacked and almost died on his first day in Alola. Still, could be worse. He looked at the time to discover it was 5PM.

"ARCEUS ABOVE!" he shouted, waking up Rowlet and Piplup in the process as they are thrown off the bed.

"HOO! HOO!"

"PIP! PIPLUP!"

"Sorry guys! I only have an hour to get ready!" he said rushing into the bathroom to freshen himself up. As soon as he walked out of the shower, there was a knock on the door. He wrapped a towel around his still wet body, thinking it was Kukui. He opened the door and he couldn't be anymore wrong.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" shouted Lillie, covering her eyes avoiding contact with his developed six-pack.

"OH ARCEUS I'M SO SORRY! I-I-I'LL BE BACK IN A MINUTE!" he shouted, closing the door and running into his room. His two Pokemon looked at him confused as he threw on a blue and white striped shirt and black cargo shorts, hair still dripping wet. He went to the door again and opened it to see a still blushing Lille. "I'm really sorry about that. I thought you were Kukui."

"It's fine! Don't worry......wait why would it be better if it was Kukui?" she asked.

"Well........he's not wearing a shirt. And I mean it was just covering the lower area so........I'm digging a bigger hole aren't I?"

"Yep. Didn't he say I was coming to get you?" she said. Collin mentally slapped himself.

"Shit you're right he did! I blame the boat trip for all this!" he said in a mocking tone, making Lillie giggle.

"It's fine. You ready to go now?"

"Yeah, let me just get Piplup and Rowlet." he said walking back into the house to get the two Pokemon. "You two ready to go?"

"Piplup Piplup!"

"Koo Hoo!"

"Good lads. Piplup, you sure you don't have any moves?" Piplup looked down to the ground with a sad face. "Come on buddy, you don't know till you try. Something simple like Bubble will do. And if you don't have any moves, it's no worry, we'll work on that another day." Piplup nodded and tried it's hardest to do Bubble. After a few attempts, one bubble came out.

"PIPLUP! PIP!" he shouted in delight.

"WELL DONE PIPLUP!" said Collin, rubbing Piplup's head. Rowlet began to rub it's head on Piplup, as a sign of congratulations. "Keep it up buddy and you'll fighting in no time." The three exited the room and joined Lillie. "Sorry about the wait, Piplup just learned his first move."

"Wow. I forgot you have two Pokemon already. You really must be good." said Lillie as they walked along the dirt path to Iki Town.

"Well I actually have a number of Pokemon in Professor Oak's garden back in Kanto. They love it there. Piplup was born from an Empoleon that I had when I traveled in Sinnoh."

"That's amazing! I wish I could drive the world." Collin looked at Lillie, who seemed to be upset.

"You never know, things can change sometime in the future. Nothing is set in stone, I learned that early on." The two continued their walk and made it to Iki Town.

* * *

Iki Town was covered in decorations and the colours really popped out in the afternoon sunset. There were kids and Pokemon all over the place, chasing each other and eating food.

"Wow, this festival must be a big deal. Have you been to it before?" asked Collin, looking at Lillie.

"Actually this is my first time. I only started working for Kukui six months ago." They walked into the main square and saw Hala and Kukui. "Speaking of, there he is."

"Ah Collin! Great to see you cousin! Thanks for bringing him Lillie. I assume there was no trouble."

"Y-Y-Yeah......no trouble at all." she said, blushing and thinking back to when he opened the door.

"Well you're just in time my boy, the main event of the festival is about to start and you're involved!" said Hala walking up to the group.

"So what's the main event?" asked Collin.

"Two trainers must battle and get their blessings from Tapu Koko to go on what's called "The Island Challenge"" Collin didn't like the sound of this.

"What's the "Island Challenge"?"

"Four Islands!" said Kukui, holding up his hand with four fingers displayed. Four Kahuna's! Trials to be completed! Do all that and you'll become Island Champion!" explained Kukui. Collin, however, wasn't impressed.

"Um.....didn't I already say to you that I didn't want to go on a journey?"

"Yes you very well did my boy. But you have been giving a special stone by Tapu Koko. This stone is extremely rare and those who have it are required to do the Island Challenge. If not, a curse is said to fall on Alola." said Hala

"......really?"

"Hahah! No my boy. But it is a big importance that you do the challenge. Tapu Koko saw the strength and bond you have with Pokemon by saving Nebby." Collin sat down on a stump and began to think about what he was going to do.

"It's just.......I've traveled so long. I've done so many things and I thought coming here would help me relax after the death of my mom." The group was silent, listening to his words. "I never came her to travel, I needed to get away from everyone."

"I'm sorry Collin. I'm sure Tapu Koko will understand." said Lillie, placing a hand on his shoulder. He took in a deep breath and looked up.

"In my experience, it's best not to piss off a Pokemon who grants you with something this big. I'll do the Island Challenge. But after this one, I'm done. No more." said Collin with a dead serous expression on his face.

"Thank you Collin. This journey will be worth it for sure. But before you start, we'll need to have your blessings to do the challenge. And we already have someone who's willing to step up." said Hala.

"Who?" ask Collin. Right on time came Hau, bounding up to the group. Collin couldn't help but smile and the teen's energy.

"WOO BOY! I'm so pumped up for this match! Popplio and I are ready for anything!" shouted Hau at the top of his voice. "You ready for this Collin?!"

"As ready as I'll ever be." he said, smiling.

"Right you two, get on one side of the stage. We start the blessing now!" said Hala and the two boys did exactly that.

* * *

The town gathered around the stage, waiting for an announcement from Kahuna Hala. Hala took to the stage and cleared his voice.

"Ladies and Gentleman of Iki Town. Thank you very much for coming to this festival to bless the new challengers to take on the Island Challenge. On the left of the stage, everyone knows him and is as hard working as his old man, Hau!" Hau walked onto the stage to thunderous cheers and applauds. "And on the right of the stage, new to Alola and someone who's traveled around the world, Collin!" Collin made his way to the stage and again, was greeted by cheers and applauds. "These two will be blessed by using their partners in a Pokemon battle to deem them worthy in the Island Challenge. I'll now give it over to Professor Kukui to explain the rules." Hala got off stage and Kukui took his place.

"Single Battle, one Pokemon each. Who's ever Pokemon is still standing is the winner, however both will be blessed by the end of the match. Trainers, send out your Pokemon!" Hau took out his Pokeball and threw it.

"GO POPPLIO!" The ball opened and out came the water seal Pokemon Collin saw yesterday. He took out he two Pokeball's and decided to choose Rowlet.

"I'm sorry Piplup, but you aren't ready yet. Next time after more training, you'll be more than ready." he said out loud and lightly kissed the ball, making the crowd coo and aw. He placed Piplup back in his pocket and threw Rowlet's ball. "GO ROWLET!" Out came Rowlet, flapping his wings.

"Okay you two, get ready." said Kukui. "Get set." The crowd was tense and silent. "BATTLE!" shouted Kukui.

"Okay let's open up strong! Use Tackle Popplio!" shouted Hau as Popplio raced forward towards Rowlet.

"Dodge and counter with Peck!" shouted Collin. Rowlet dodge just at last second and managed to peck at Popplio.

"That's nothing! Come on Popplio, use Water Gun!" Popplio inhaled air and sprayed out large jets of water. Rowlet flew up into the air to try and dodge them, until one hit him right square in the face.

"Rowlet! You okay?!" shouted Collin.

"KOO!" said Rowlet, showing that it was.

"WELL DONE! Now let's not fall behind! Use Leafage!" Leafs from Rowlet's wings appeared and were hurled towards Popplio. Most if not all managed to hit it.

"You can shake that off Popplio! Use Tackle again and make it count!"

"Dodge and use Peck!" The two trainer shouted at once as the two Pokemon came in for the attack. They both connected with their attacks, sending both flying and throwing dust in the air, covering the whole stage. Both Hau and Collin had no idea who won as the dust was too thick to see. As the dust cleared, it was clear who won.

"Popplio is unable to battle! The winner is Collin!" The crowd cheered in delight as the results were announced.

"KOKOKOOKOOOOOOOO" came a loud noise from the distance.

"Ho oh! It seems Tapu Koko is pleased and now both of you have been blessed." said Hala, congratulating the boys. They returned their Pokemon to their Balls for a well earned rest.

"Man, you're really strong! I knew you would be as soon as I saw you. You're just that cool!" said Hau, praising his opponent, which surprised Collin.

"Oh wow. No offense but I thought you'd be upset about this."

"Why would I be upset? I got to fight a trainer who traveled the word as my first Pokemon battle! How could I be upset at that?!" asked Hau.

"Well most of the people that I've traveled with in some form or another tended to get extremely pissy when they lost to me. And I do mean pissy." explained Collin.

"Oh boy. Well be glad that I'm not like that, there's no fun in being sour over a match! But I do want to beat you someday." he confessed. Collin smiled at the honesty he gave him.

"Who knows, nothing is impossible. By the way, great match!" he said extending his hand to shake, which Hau does.

"You too! Man I'm starving, time to eat!" said Hau walking off to the food table. Collin made his way off the stage and met up with Kukui and Lillie.

"That was some battle Collin! The heat of that was as if Groundon himself used Overheat!" said Kukui. This sent a chill down Collin's spine.

"Please.....don't say that." he whispered.

".....Oh......Oh you were there when Hoenn was.......oh sorry!" said Kukui bowing.

"It's okay, you didn't know. But thanks anyway." Collin looked at Lillie and she didn't look okay. "What's wrong?"

"Um.....I'm not too keen of Pokemon battles. I don't like seeing them get hurt. But you did good!" she said, assuring him.

"Ah I knew people like that. Don't worry about it okay. Wanna get a bite to eat?" he asked the two.

"Actually I have to go back to the lab. Lillie, why don't you stay with Collin for a while, get to know each other a little better?"

"O-Okay Professor!" she said, blushing. Kukui waved goodbye and headed to his lab. "So......food?" Collin nodded and they walked to the food table, got what they wanted and began to tuck in. Collin let out both Piplup and Rowlet to have their share.

"So Lillie, I have a question." She turned to Collin, with a confused look. "What's the Pokemon in the bag? I've never came across it during my travels. Is it native to Alola?"

"Um....Nebby....sorry, Cosmog isn't native to Alola. I'm not sure were he's from. But I think the answer lies with the shines, as he seems to be attracted to them."

"Like yesterday right?"

"Exactly! But it's trouble to have him around, since I can't trust anyone to see him. I fear he'd be taken and used for his power which is dangerous." She let out a heavy sigh. "Please, I hate doing this. But will you protected Nebby? I'll have to travel with you around Alola, since you don't really know. It's a request by Kukui and I can't leave Nebby at the lab. Please." she said, almost on the verge of tears. Collin quickly knew what to say.

"Of course. You can count on me. Also I'm glad you're joining me, can be a bit lonely on these journeys when I have no one beside my Pokemon to talk to." he confessed. Lillie smiled so wildly it as bright as the sun.

"Thank you so much! You don't know how much this means to me." She looked at the time on her watch and let go. "I have to go back to the lab. Kukui told me to bring you to the lab tomorrow. He has something to show you before you leave. Also, please remember to have clothes on." she said, blushing and causing him to blush as well.

"Um....sure. Yeah sure. I'll see you tomorrow then!" he said waving to Lillie, who waved back. He looked into the now star lit sky and wondered what his journey will be like without gyms and a rather cute young lady traveling with him. "On the road again I suppose."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man writing Pokemon battles is gonna be hard. Still, can't learn unless you try. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Comments of any nature are welcomed and as always, I'll see you in the next chapter. Cheerio!


	3. New Friendzz and Skullzz

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now here's the third chapter. I swear I just get a bunch of energy every time I begin a chapter. Honestly I don't know how long this will be but one thing for sure, it's gonna be fun to write. Hope you enjoy!

**Chapter 3-New Friendzz and Skullzz**

Another day has dawned on Alola as Collin removed himself from his bed, this time having a shower early and getting dressed before Lillie was to arrive. He looked around his house, trying to find his old travel bag. Turns out it was in stashed away in the wardrobe along with his other clothes, waiting to gather dust.

"Didn't think I'd be using you anytime soon." he said as if the bag could talk. He took the bag out and stashed it with spare clothes, food and other items to cover him for his journey just as he heard a knock on the door. "Coming!" he yelled, strapping the bag onto his back, Poke Balls in his pocket and answered the door to see Lillie, once again in her pure white clothing.

"G-good morning Collin!" she said showing a shy smile. "You ready to visit the lab?" she said, while trying to hide her face. Collin took this as her not fully getting over seeing him almost naked yesterday.

"Uh yeah I'm just about ready." he said, rubbing his back, feeling the awkwardness rise. "So.....lead the way?" he said walking out of the house and locking the door, never returning until whenever he finishes this journey. The two walked in silence, not uttering a single word to each other, letting the tension between the two grow. It wasn't until they reached the beach area to see patches of grass and trainers that Lillie spoke up.

"Um, I don't have any Pokemon on me. So I have to use a ton of repels on me just to get past. I hope you don't mind." she said, looking worried.

"That's no problem. You go on ahead, I want to train Piplup and Rowlet while I'm here."

"Sure. I'll meet you by the lab when you're finished. It's that house over there." she said pointing towards the rather beaten up looking house. She walked along the grass, getting stopped by trainers to battle her and her constantly telling them she didn't have Pokemon. Collin couldn't help but find her politeness cute, in a friendly so of way that is. He made his way on the grass and encountered Pokemon he'd never seen and some he had, battling each one and the trainers he saw. During that time, Piplup managed to finally get the hang of it's Bubble.

"Good job buddy! I told you didn't I?!" he said, excited.

"PIP! PIP!"

"Come on, let's not keep Lillie and Kukui waiting." He returned Piplup to his ball and walked towards the lab. "Sorry about making you wait."

"It's no problem at al-" she said just as a bang came from inside the lab.

"HOLY SHIT WHAT WAS THAT?!" shouted Collin, getting his Pokeballs ready for a fight before Lillie grabbed a hold of his arms to stop him.

"It's okay! Kukui has an.....interesting way in studying Pokemon moves. Let's go inside to see for yourself." she said, leading him into the lab. Inside, he saw a dog like Pokemon tackling Kukui in the chest.

"OH YEAH! I FELT THAT! MY BODY IS READY!" he shouted, only now turning to notice Collin and Lillie in the room with him. "Oh.....ehehe......I didn't expect to see you there."

".......right mind explaining what's going on here?" asked Collin.

"Well I study Pokemon moves. How they work and all of that but what makes me different from other Professors is that I test the moves on myself to see how powerful they are. It's giving me good results so far, isn't that right Rockruff?" he said to the dog Pokemon.

"RUFF! RUFF!" it said, running in circles.

"Isn't that a little dangerous?" asked Collin, slightly concerned. 

"Nope. Not at all. I got with with Ice Beam and was fine!" he said, slightly shaking. Collin wasn't convinced at all. "Anyway I bet you're wondering why I called you here?"

"To give me a Pokedex to fill out?" said Collin, smirking. Lillie just watch and she giggled at Kukui's face as he looked confused.

"How did you?....Oh....I assume other Professors gave you one in their regions." Collin only nodded. "Well you are right. But this one will be special. Okay buddy! Come on out!" he shouted. An electric pulse appeared and a floating Pokemon was now in it's place.

"BBBBBBBBZZZZZZZZZRT!" it cried, bobbing up and down. This caused Collin, who's normally calm and collected, to hide behind Lillie.

"KUKUI GET THAT FUCKING THING AWAY FROM ME!" he shouted behind Lillie, scared out of his shoes.

"Relax cousin, what's the worry. Rotom is harmless, if not a trickster."

"YEAH AND THAT IS THE WHOLE FUCKING PROBLEM!"

"Collin, what's wrong?" asked Lillie, looking behind her to see Collin shaking.

"I ran into a Rotom in Sinnoh. Scared the absolute shit out of me!" he confessed.

"I can assure you that this Rotom won't do that. Besides, he's gonna be pretty helpful to you." Kukui took out what looked like a Pokedex and held it out to Rotom. "You know what to do buddy!"

"BBZZRT!" it cried and dove right into the Pokedex. This made Collin even more scared.

"Oh Arceus why are you letting that thing in there!?"

"Hey! Don't judge me cuzzz!" said a robotic sounding voice.

"Oh great, it talks. That's just fucking perfect." said Collin, pacing back and forth.

"I think you're overreacting Collin." said Lillie with a stern voice. He turned to face her, with a face of pure rage.

"I'm overreacting?! HOW ABOUT YOU TRY GETTING CHASED BY ONE OF THOSE THINGS, CHANGING FORM EVERY TURN I MAKE, SCARING THE LIFE OUT OF ME AND GIVING ME NIGHTMARES THAT I STILL HAVE!" he roared out to the point that even the trainers on the beach could hear him. He was panting heavily, looking around at the shocked face of Kukui, the shocked emoji on the Pokedex, and Lillie, who looked like she was close to tears.

"I-I-I'm so sorry. I-I-I didn't know-" she choked out. This made Collin calm down right away.

"No no no no. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to let that out. It's not your fault, or Kukui's or Rotom's. It's my fault for overreacting." The Rotom floated closer to Collin, making him flinch a bit.

"Even thoze I'm not that Rotomz, I'm sorry for what my kindz put you through. I promize not to do thatzzz." said the Rotom.

"Okay. I guess you're alright." said Collin, smiling a bit. Kukui got his composure back and began to speak.

"Sorry about that Collin. I suppose I should have told you. But anyway, Rotom has fused with the Pokedex, making it a Rotom Dex! He'll be able to tell you new Pokemon from the region quick as a Thunderbolt!"

"I'll not let you down Masterzz!" said Rotom, jumping inside Collin's bag without warning.

"Tell me next time you go in there!" he shouted.

"Tell what to go in where?" came a new voice entering the lab.

"Ah Hau! Good timing!" said Kukui, fumbling in his pockets to take out two pendants. "You two, take these." he said handing the pendants to Hau and Collin.

"Are these trial pendants?!" said Hau exactingly.

"Trial pendants?" asked Collin.

"Yes. These are meant to be worn on your person to prove you are on your Island Challenge. Now I would be telling the both of you to head to Trainer School, but Hau you'll be the only one going since Collin already knows the ins and outs of being a trainer. I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all Professor! If I want to beat Collin, I got to learn everything I know! After all, it's not a race." said Hau, his smile not leaving his face.

"That's the way to look at it! Well you two, get started on your Island Challenge! Have fun and good luck!" said Kukui, showing the three out the door.

"Bye Professor." they all said at once as they left the lab. Hau jumped onto the sand and was still in his happy mood.

"I already know where the Trainer School is so I'll get a head start on you Collin. I'll see you when I finish! Bye!" he said waving at the two and ran off to the school.

"He's gonna be a good trainer. I can feel it." said Collin, smiling fondly. That smile faded when he turned to Lillie, who still looked upset. "Hey, Lillie. You okay?"

"Yeah. It's just.....I feel so guilty about what I said to you in there." she said, coughing out the words.

"Hey hey hey, none of that." he said in a bigger attempt to calm her down. "I was the one who popped off. You never knew and you were right. I did overreact."

"But you had your reason to."

"But that's no excuse to shout at a friend." he said. Lillie looked up at him.

"You......see me as a friend?" she asked, unsure if she heard him right.

"Of course. You've been nothing but polite to me since yesterday. Same with Hau. If there is one way to easily be friends with me, it's to be kind and friendly." This seemed to perk Lillie up a lot.

"Thanks for forgiving me. Gosh I've been saying "thanks" a lot, haven't I?" she said giggling.

"Ah think nothing of it." he said turning towards the city in the distance. "Well, no time like the present. Ready to head into the city?" he asked.

"Of course!"

* * *

The two walked out of the beach and went west from Collin's house into Hau'oli city. Lillie was telling him a few details about the city. While not as big as Castelia City in Unova or even Lumiose City in Kalos, but the atmosphere certainly made up for it. It gave a sense of warm and comfort unlike most cities that felt cold and harsh. Just by stepping foot by the beach area, he knew he'd enjoy his short time here.

"And all the way down this road is another Pokemon Center." said Lillie, continuing to ramble on about what was in the city when a voice interrupted her.

"HEY! IS ONE OF YOU COLLIN!" shouted a lady from outside of a store.

"Yeah that's me!" shouted back Collin. The lady walked up to him and greeted the two with a smile.

"Oh good I thought I missed you. I got a call from Kukui to upgrade your Pokedex to take pictures. Mind if I take it off your hands for a few minutes."

"Sure, no problem." he said taking out the dex. "Now behave you hear me?" said Collin to the Pokedex.

"Yezz Sirzzz!" it said. The lady grabbed the Pokedex and walked into the building. As they were waiting for her to return, Hau managed to catch up with them.

"Hey guys! Boy that training school was tough but I managed to do it!" he said jumping up and down.

"Well done Hau." said Lillie. "I'm sure you know more than you did before.......I hope." she teased.

"Pfft, course I do. Watch out Collin, I'm gonna catch up to you yet!"

"I'm sure you will Hau." said Collin, smiling.

"Oh by the way, a man by the name Ilima, the Trial Captain, said to meet you by the pier in the city. Said he had something important to tell you."

"Okay, thanks Hau. I'll go there once I get my Pokedex back." Just as he said that, the lady came out. "Speak of the devil."

"Here you are sir. Taking pictures is as easy as a snap. Also, don't worry about paying, it's free of charge! Thank you for waiting and enjoy your Island Challenge." she said walking back into the building.

"Thanks!" Collin looked at the dex. "Okay how do you take a picture. I want one of the three of us."

"I can handlezzz that!" said Rotom floating in the air. "Okay say Pokemonzzz!"

"POKEMON!" they cried as the picture was taken. Collin looked at it and it turned out rather well.

"Oh that's so awesome! If you managed to print that out, send me a copy please." said Hau.

"No problem. Right shall we go to the pier?"

"Actually I'm gonna go get a bite to eat. All that battling has made me super hungry. I'll catch you later!" said Hau walking off.

"Um.....do you mind if I look at some clothes shops? I never really get a chance to go in them." asked Lillie.

"Sure. It's not like you need to be connected to my hip 24/7. I'll meet you back here okay?"

"Sure. Good luck with your talk!" she said and she bounced her way towards the clothing shop, or at least it looked like she was bouncing. Collin sighed and hoped she was okay from what he said earlier in the day. He took the thought out his brain for now and decided to make his way towards the pier.

* * *

As Collin made his way to the pier, he overheard a conversation by to people.

"Team Skull is supposed to be around here."

"What? Those punks? They won't be able to do a thing here."

"Yeah I guess you're right. Still, be careful."

"Team Skull?" Collin sighed, he had a bad feeling that it was going to be one of those situations. He finally got to the pier which had a few people standing around, less than they day he arrived. One person stood out with green hair and was smartly dressed. The person turned and walked towards Collin.

"You wouldn't happen to be Collin?" asked the person, sounding very posh.

"Yeah that would be me. You must be Ilima."

"Ah yes. Allow me to introduce myself properly. I am Ilima. Captain of the only Trial here on Melemele Island. I represent the Normal Trial. I have been tasked to inform you on what the trials are and what you get for passing them."

"Yeah I wasn't actually told. Mind explaining?" asked Collin.

"Of course. Now you have traveled to many regions with Gyms yes? Well here, the Trials are not like Gyms. Trials don't just test your battle skills, they test your brain, your bond with your Pokemon, and your survival skills. When you complete a trial, you will be faced with what's called a Totem Pokemon."

"Totem Pokemon?"

"Yes. These are Pokemon that are much larger and stronger than your average Pokemon. But if you managed to beat them, you'll be awarded a Z-Crystal. What are those? Well why don't we wait till the actual Trial to talk about that." said Ilima.

"Sure. Wow, this is so much different to Gyms. Well at least it's a good different, kinda got tired to doing them every region. Where is the Trial?" asked Collin.

"The Trial is on Route 2 just north of here. I'll meet you there soon." Just as Ilima was about to walk away, loud music began to blare across the pier.

"Yo yo yo! Whatz up homies!" said one figure dressed in black.

"We are Team Skull and we are in the house bro!" said another figure in the same clothing.

"So anyway as I was saying, I'll meet you at the Trial" said Ilima, completely ignoring the figures. They ran up towards Collin and Ilima.

"Hey yo! What just because you the Cap'n you think you can ignore us homie?!"

"Yeah! Team Skull doesn't like it when dudes ignore us." Collin stared at the goons.

"Wait......you're Team Skull?" he asked.

"Yeah and what of it newbie!? You look like you aren't around from here and we don't like newcomers. Isn't that right bro?"

"Damn right that's right bro! So hand over your Pokemon before you get hunt!" said the goon before doing some weird dance. Collin wasn't even impressed.

"Yeah listen, not gonna happen. You have to options; leave us be, or face a beat down. Which is it going to be? Actually I think I know the answer already." he said with a smirk on his face.

"Yo who the hell do you think you are newbie?! We the hardest in all of Alola and you just made a big mistake. Bro, let's shut these fools up!"

"I hear you bro!" The two sent out a Zubat and what looked like a Grimer with mustard on its face.

"Collin, would you be so kind and help me take these two down. I'll take the one with the Grimer, you take on the Zubat." said Ilima, sending out a Smeargle.

"With fucking pleasure. GO PIPLUP!" shouted Collin throwing out Piplup. "Ready for battle buddy?"

"Piplup Piplup!" he cried.

"Well then let's teach this idiot not to mess with me. Open up with a Tackle!" Piplup ran as fast it could and jumped, slamming into the Zubat.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! USE ABSORB!" The Zubat got up and went to bite Piplup.

"Dodge and use Bubble to finish him off!" Piplup does indeed dodge and shoots out multiple bubbles, each one hitting the Zubat and knocking it out.

"OH YOU USELESS SACK OF SHIT! RETURN!" shouted the grunt. "Who the hell are you?!"

"I did warn you. Now I suggest you and your buddy get out of here, before I make things way worse for the both of you." said Collin, showing a wicked grin on his face just as the other goon was defeated.

"Bro let's get out of here! This guy reminds me of the boss!"

"I hear you! Let's split!" The two goons ran off to who knows where.

"Well that was pleasant. Good work, you really must be a strong trainer." said Ilima. "By the way, what did you mean by saying "making things worse"?"

"Nothing. I just wanted to scare them off. But knowing my luck, I'm going to see a lot more of them soon."

"Unfortunately you will. Team Skull are all over Alola so watch yourself. Then again I'm sure you won't have to worry. Anyway I best be going. I'll see you at the Trial. Remember, it's just north, Route 2!" shouted Ilima, walking away from Collin. His brain was full to burst. Trials, Captains, Z-Crystals, Team Skull, Lillie. Everything just seemed to crash on him all at once.

"This is going to be a long one isn't it?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, comments and reviews of any nature are welcomed. If there are things in chapters that you think need to be improved or changed, please don't hesitate to tell, feedback really does help. And as always, I'll see you in the next chapter. Cheerio!


	4. Trials and Flower Fields

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright first Trial here we come. I'm gonna skip the berry farm if you don't mind. Basically anything that doesn't really advanced the story will be cut. I hope that won't make things too confusing as I want to have a story flow nicely. But anyway, enjoy the chapter!

**Chapter 4-First Trial and Flower Fields**

Collin made his way back to the clothes shop were Lillie was. He wait for a good few minutes before he got bored and decided to enter the shop. The smell of new clothes filled his nose, almost making him gag. It didn't take long for him to find her, as she stood out with her fully white dress.

"Hey Lillie? You finished yet?" he said, calling her.

"Oh sorry! I was just looking." she answered, walking away from the clothes. "Typical of me, I go in here everyday I can and I never come out with anything. I just don't know what's good for me. My mom always bought my clothes"

"You should be like me. I just throw whatever I have on me. Sure it might not be appealing to look at but hey, who's gonna judge?"

".....not to burst your bubble, but it's kinda different for women Collin." she said, giggling at the confused look on him.

"If you say so. You ready to head to the trial? I'm sure Hau can catch up to us in no time, guy has jet engines on his legs I swear." he said laughing at his own joke, to which Lillie joined in.

"Sure. Let's go!" The two made their way out of town and walked along Route 2. While trekking through the route, Collin trained up his Pokemon and noted the Pokemon he saw into his Pokedex. On their way, they came across a bunch of berries on the ground. "Hey Collin, look at these!" she said

"Berries! Arceus I need some for food tonight!" he said as he started to pick up some berries. Suddenly, a large claw poked out of the pile and tried to snap at him. "OH FUCK HOLD ON!" he shouted, jumping back to see a Pokemon jump out of the pile. "GO ROWLET!" he shouted.

"Koo! Koo!" said Rowlet, ready for battle.

"Let's knock this crab into next week! Use Peck!" he shouted. Rowlet flew incredibly quick and pecked at the crab like Pokemon. To Collin's shock, the Pokemon fainted already. He used this time to take out an unused Pokeball. "POKEBALL GO!" he said, throwing the ball towards the Pokemon. The ball captured the Pokemon and began to shake. With one final shake, the Pokemon was now Collin's. "Alright! Rotom, what Pokemon is that?" Rotom instantly appeared and laid down the info.

"Crabrawler, the Boxing Pokemon. Fighting Type. Female. While guarding its weak points with its pincers, it looks for an opening and unleashes punches. When it loses, it foams at the mouth and faints."

"......Arceus that's a bit dark. Oh well, let's get her healed up and train her before the actual Trial."

"I can heal him for you." said Lillie, taking out potions and other items. "I'm stocked up with these so if you need anything, don't hesitate to tell me!"

"Wow....you don't have to do that Lillie. I have money for-"

"Nope I won't hear it. You're helping me with Nebby and I need to do something to at least pay you back." she said, cutting him off. She took Crabrawler's ball and released her. She sprayed a potion on her and she looked a lot better. "How do you feel now Crabrawler?"

"Crab! Crabrawler!" she said, happily.

"I'm glad." said Lillie, show the smile that Collin has been growing to love. He bent down to look at Crabrawler eye to eye.

"Great to have you on the team. Why don't you and I train up a bit?" She bounced up and down in agreement. "Good! Come on, let's get stuck in!" he said walking in the tall grass, while Lillie watched them, showing a small smile.

"Gosh he's so kind to his Pokemon." she whispered to herself.

* * *

Once the training for Crabrawler was done, Collin and Lillie made their way toward the Trial entrance, which Ilima was waiting.

"Ah Collin, glad you could come. This is the start of your first Island Trial. Do you want to know how this Trial works?" he asked.

"Yes please. Don't want to go in here not knowing what the hell I'm doing after all."

"Very well. The Trial is simple; all you have to do is knock out the three Yungoos and make your way to the Totem Pokemon. Once you defeat the Totem Pokemon, you'll get your first Z-Crystal."

"Yeah what are Z-Crystals anyway?" asked Collin.

"Ah yes. Well Z-Crystals are powerful stones that you can use with your Pokemon. They unleash an incredibly strong attack but can only be used one in battle. You'll need a Z-Ring to activate them though. I'm sure Professor Kukui can provide you one.......when you finish the Trial that is."

"Huh. Reminds me of Mega Stones." said Collin, thinking about how Z-Crystals work.

"Mega Stones? What are they?" asked Lillie.

"Stones that allow some Pokemon to enter a new stage of evolution for only a short time. They were used in Kalos and recently in Hoenn. Not sure about here though." said Collin.

"It's the first time I've heard of them so I guess they aren't as common." said Lillie.

"Well it doesn't matter. Captain Ilima, I'm ready for my Trial." said Collin, preparing himself.

"Very well. Unfortunately only those who are doing the Island Challenge can enter the Trial. Sorry young lady, you'll have to wait outside till he's done." said Ilima to Lillie.

"That's okay. Best of luck Collin! I'll be waiting for you here!"

"Thanks Lillie. I'll see you when I'm finished." Collin and Ilima entered the Trial, leaving Lillie by herself. They stopped just as Collin noticed a bunch of small holes and an the exit in his site in the small forest.

"Okay remember what I said?" asked Ilima.

"Defeat the Yungoos, then head to the Totem Pokemon and get the Z-Crystal. I'm ready for this."

"Very well. You're Trial starts.....................NOW!" shouted Ilima. Collin waste no time and rushed towards the first hole. Of course the Yungoos came out and was defeated just as fast. He moved to the second hole just has the second Yungoos rushed towards him. Like the last one, this Yungoos was no problem at all. However, when he came to the third Yungoos, it ran into the hole and appeared on the other end of the trial. Collin rushed over to that hole and like before, the Yungoos ran into the hole and appeared where it was before.

"YOU LITTLE SHIT!" he shouted. He made his way towards the bridge when he spotted two familiar figures.

"Aye yo what's up homie? You remember us?" said a Team Skull goon.

"Yeah bro you remember us?" said the other goon. Collin sighed and decided to amuse himself.

"Nope. Don't remember you at all." The goon's eyes widened.

"For real bro?! Wait hold on!" said one goon as the two swapped places.

"There! Now do you remember us?!" said the other. Collin had to hand it to them, they were funny.

"Ah now I remember you. You're the two goons that Ilima and I stopped in Hau'oli. Didn't I warn you about facing me again?" he said, showing the same wicked grin he gave them at the pier.

"Y-Y-Yeah that's us! B-B-But we aren't here to fight you!" said one of the goons

"Oh? Then why are you here in the first place?"

"Aye bro, just because we won't fight you, doesn't mean we'll mess your Trial up! Oh yeah, we'll make sure you won't pass this Trial at all!" Collin, at first, was concerned. Then, something clicked in his mind. 

"You know what? Fine. Why don't you two block those holes over there? That will really mess me up!" he said, trying hard to hid his smirk.

"Yeah we might just do that! You screwed yourself over homie! Come on bro, let's get our revenge!"

"I hear you bro! See you newbie!" The two goons did exactly what Collin told them and blocked the two holes the Yungoos came out. And like he predicted, the Yungoos came out of one of the holes he looked at already. With quick work from Crabrawler, he took down the Yungoos and made his way to the exit, just before turning to the Team Skull goons.

"Aye yo! Thanks for the help dickheads!" shouted Collin, flipping the bird at them and walked away, just missing the shocked faces of the goons

* * *

He walked into a large area and was blinded by the sun. Once he's eyes adjusted, he saw a podium with an object on it. He walked up to it as was about to take it when suddenly there was a loud rumble. He looked up to see a massive Pokemon and it jumped down in front of him.

"GUM GROOOO!" it cried out. A large amount of aura seemed to flow around the Pokemon

"Rotom what is that thing?!" shouted Collin. Rotom appeared beside and got the info needed.

"Gumshoos, the stakeout Pokemon. Normal Type. Totem Pokemon. When it finds a trace of its prey, it patiently stakes out the location...but it's always snoozing by nightfall. This one is four times the size of a regular Gumshoe."

"Thanks. Okay Crabrawler, let's show him what you're made of!" shouted Collin, throwing out Crabrawler. "Lets start this in our favor! Use Rock Smash!" Crabrawlers fist began to swing and let out a powerful punch to the Gumshoos. But it looked like it didn't even damage it. "Rotom, what is that aura?"

"Unidentified source. Seems to power up the Totem Pokemon's stats."

"Great." said Collin, just as Gumshoos came in for a bite. It bit down on Crabrawler hard but she kept standing. "Good job!" Just as he was about to announce another attack, Gumshoos let out a cry.

"GRROOOO!" Suddenly, a Yungoos appeared.

"Rotom, what happened?!" shouted Collin.

"Totem Pokemon can summon for help if they need it. Apart of the challenge is to take both Pokemon out with just one Pokemon on the field."

"Oh that's fantastic! Okay Crabrawler, focus on the Gumshoos for now and use Rock Smash again!" Crabrawler did just that and hit Gumshoos again. Gumshoos shook the attack on and came in for another bite, this time the Yungoos joining in. Crabrawler cried in pain before falling to the ground, fainting. "Return! You did the best you could Crabrawler." he said, taking out another Pokemon. "GO ROWLET!"

"Koo Koo!" it cried.

"Use Razor Leaf on both of them!" he shouted. Rowlet sent out a bunch of leafs and flung them towards the Gumshoos and Yungoos. While the Gumshoos still stood, the Yungoos fainted. "Well done! That's one problem sorted! Dodge it's bite and go in for a Peck!" Like he predicted, Gumshoos went in for the bite but Rowlet dodged it and pecked right into it's chest. This final blow managed to knock out the Gumshoos, making Collin the winner. "ALL RIGHT! Well done Rowlet!"

"Koo koo!" it cried, just as a white light covered it. What was once a round ball. became up straight and smart looking.

"Oh shit you evolved! Rotom, what did Rowlet evolve into?"

"Dartrix. The blade quill Pokemon. Grass Flying. Male. A bit of a dandy, it spends its free time preening its wings. Its preoccupation with any dirt on its plumage can leave it unable to battle." said Rotom. "Well done beatingz for first Trialz Materzzz."

"Thanks. Okay Dartrix, return." Collin walked over to the podium and grabbed the Z-Crystal.

"Oh that was a fantastic battle." came a voice. It was Ilima. "Congratulations Collin. You have beaten your first Trial and now have your first Z-Crystal. This one is Normalium Z and as you can tell, it allows you to used the Normal Z Move, Breakneck Blitz. Allow me to show you the move to activate it." Ilima did what looked like a dance. "Now you try." Collin repeated what Ilima did. "Very good. Each Z-Move will have a different move to activate the power, so you better remember them."

"Gotcha. Okay can we get out of here? This place is starting to give me the creeps." The two made their way back to the entrance and exited the Trial.

* * *

When they exited the Trial, they were greeted by both Kukui and Hau.

"Hey cousin! How was your first Trial?" asked Kukui.

"It was different I'll give it that. Got my first Z-Crystal." said Collin, holding out the crystal in his hand.

"Oh wow that's so cool! I can't wait to get mine. Mr. Ilima, can I do the Trial now?" asked Hau.

"Of course. Collin, I'm sure we'll meet again soon. Good luck on your Island Challenge. Come Hau."  The two males walked into the Trial, leaving Kukui and Collin on their own.

"By the way Collin, I forgot you don't have a Z-Ring." Kukui took out said Z-Ring and gave it to Collin. "Just strap the ring on, put in the Z-Crystal and BOOM! You can use Z-Moves with any Pokemon that has a Normal Type move."

"Thanks Professor." Collin looked around and noticed something was off. "Kukui, have you seen Lillie?"

"I was about to ask you the same question. She told me she would be here but by the time I got here, she was nowhere to be seen. She couldn't have gone far though."

"Yeah. Let's split up and look for her." With that, the search for Lillie began. While Kukui went back to the start of the route, Collin continued his way on the route to see if she went further ahead. Along the way, he fought more Pokemon and Trainers (after healing up his Pokemon of course) until he came across a flower field. When he entered the field, he was greeted by a now familiar white figure. "Lillie! There you are!" Lillie heard Collin's voice and turned to face him.

"Collin! I'm so sorry I didn't meet you at the Trial! But Nebby wandered off and I needed to find him. I did but there is one problem." She pointed to a cliff face in the field to were Nebby was. "He's up there, and all the way to there is tall flowers, were Pokemon are. I have no more Repels left on me so I can't get there. Please Collin, can you get Nebby." It wasn't even up for discussion.

"Of course. I won't be long." Of course Pokemon came out and he took care of them no problem. When he finally got to Nebby, the cloud seemed to be happy to see him. "Hey buddy, wanna come back to your mama?" he ask.

"Pew!" it cried.

"Okay, we'll go back to mama." He picked Nebby up gently and walked through the flowers and back to Lillie. "Here you go buddy, back to mama." he said.

"Thank you Collin!.....wait....mama?" she questioned.

"Well you are kinda like a mother to him, aren't you?"

".....Yeah I guess you're right. Come on Nebby, in the bag you go." As she put Nebby back into the bag, a gust of wind blew flower petals around the field, with some going past Lillie. Something about it made Lillie look more beautiful. Shaking his head, Collin returned to reality.

"Ahem.....right so.....Kukui is worried about you. Let's meet up with him."

"Okay. Again, sorry for running off."

"It's okay. Remember, you're not attached to my hip. Still, I got worried when you weren't there. But it doesn't matter, let's go." The left the field behind them just as Hau and Kukui joined up.

"Oh good you found her! Great that she's okay." said Kukui, letting out a sigh of relief.

"I was just in the field Professor. I was fine." She turned to a smiling Hau. "I assume you just beaten the Trial Hau."

"You bet I did! Man Totem Pokemon are tough, but I managed to do it. And I got a Z-Ring! This is so cool!" Hau was jumping up and down, making Collin smile. "So, now we have to face the Kahuna right?"

"Yep. Once you beat old Hala, you'll be able to move on to the next Island. I suggest you two train up and get use to using Z-Moves. He may be lovable, but he will not hold back." said Kukui.

"Okay! I'm gonna make sure I do my best! After all, if I want to be a Kahuna like grandpa, I need to keep training and beat him one day!" he said, running off to train.

"That kid has energy." said Collin.

"He's Hala's grandson that's for sure. I'll see you in Iki Town you two. Best of luck Collin." said Kukui, making his leave. It was just Collin and Lillie together again.

"So, a bit more training and then taking on Hala. That shouldn't be a problem right?" he said.

"For you? I don't think so." said Lillie. "I wish you and Hau the best of luck too. I know you can do it!"

"Thanks. That means a lot to me Lillie." Collin went to train with more trainers and Pokemon in tall grass. "Hopefully Hala can provide me a good challenge."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And end of Chapter 4. Now I'm gonna take a day break from the fic just so I can work out where I'm going with this. I hope you don't mind. Comments and reviews of any nature are welcomed and as always, I'll see you in the next chapter. Cheerio!


	5. Fighting for Sleep

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ayo I'm back from the break. I feel pretty happy with how this turned out. I have a person has been constantly making sure that everything is going smooth out of their own will and I can't thank them enough. So anyway, let's get stuck in!

**Chapter 5-Fighting for Sleep**

Passing more trainers and across a wooden bridge, Collin and Lillie finally came full circle around Melemele Island and arrived back at Iki Town.

"Wow, didn't know how small the Island was. We made it back before sunset." said Collin, surprised.

"I don't think it will be like that for the next Island Collin." said Lillie, with a hint of teasing in her voice. "Do you think you can beat Hala today?"

"Worth a shot. These guys are healed up, ready to go and I still have energy in me. So why not?" Lillie wasn't convinced about the last part. She managed to have a closer look at him and noticed the rings around his eyes. To not have a repeat of this morning, she kept it to herself.

"Either way, I wish you the best of luck with this fight!"

"Thanks Lillie." he said, holding his hand up for a fist bump. Lillie was confused for a second, before catching on a returning the bump and giving a giggle. Walking further into the town, they met up with Hala and Kukui.

"Oh ho! Collin my boy. I didn't expect to see you here so soon." said Hala.

"Well I don't like to keep people waiting."

"Nonsense my boy. In the Island Challenge, you can take as much time as you like. There is no set days or times for Trials. You turn up whenever you're ready and challenge. Simple as that." said Hala, giving his stomach a good hearty slap.

"Oh, well that's different. Still, I'd rather get through this as fast as I can so I can rexlax. I hope you understand." Hala nodded in response.

"Trust me Collin, when this is all over, you'll be able to relax without worrying about a thing." said Kukui, smiling.

"Yeah I'll hold you to that. So, you ready for a battle Kahuna Hala?" asked Collin.

"As ready as I'll ever be. Come to the stage and we'll have a battle. I hope you bring your all, don't hold back." Hala walked over to the stage, waiting for Collin to join.

"Oh man, this is gonna be more heated up than a Heatwave used by Moltres!" said Kukui, walking to the stage himself. Collin was about to join him before Lillie grabbed a hold of him.

"Collin, are you sure you want to battle Hala now? I don't mean to pry, but you look tired. Have you been sleeping?" she asked.

"Yeah I have been. I think I'm still recovering from the trip." Lillie hummed, not sure what to think. "Listen, I'll be fine. After this battle, I'll rest up and we'll continue tomorrow. How's that sound?"

"Okay. I just worry, you know?" _Why would I worry about him? He's an amazing trainer. I'm sure he'll be fine.......right?_ Lillie's train of thought was cut off by a chuckle from Collin.

"I'm glad someone does." he said. "We, better not keep Hala waiting. You coming?"

"Of course! Good luck!" The two made their way to the stage, ready to battle.

* * *

Collin was as calm as he could be, taking his steps onto the stage, facing Hala. Hala turned to face Collin, with the same expression as Collin.

"I hope you're ready for a battle Collin, because here comes old Hala!" he shouted. Kukui came to the stage as judge.

"Trainer Collin Vs Kahuna Hala! The one with the most Pokemon standing is deemed the winner." The tension between the four who were present was high, waiting for Kukui's signal. "Get ready........Get Set..........BATTLE!"

"GO MANKEY!" shouted Hala

"GO DARTRIX!" shouted Collin. The two Pokemon appeared out from their Pokeballs and were ready for battle. "Dartrix, use Razor Leaf!"

"Dodge and Focus your Energy!" Dartrix shot sharp leafs towards Mankey, who's speed dodge them no problem. During the confusing, Mankey was pumped up with energy.

"Now use Karate Chop!" The speed of the Mankey was enough to connect the attack, with the Focus Energy powering up the move. Dartrix was knocked backwards by the force of the move.

"Come on you can do this! Dodge his Karate Chop and go for a Peck!" Dartrix manged to dodge every last attack from Mankey and Pecked it. It was enough to actually knock out Mankey in one hit.

"Well done Mankey!" said Hala, returning the Pokemon. "GO MAKUHITA!" he shouted, sending out said Pokemon.

"You need rest Dartrix. Return." said Collin. Dartrix returned to his ball and Collin got another Pokeball ready. "GO CRABRAWLER!" Crabrawler appeared on the stage and punched the air. "Okay, open up with a Bubble Beam!" A jet of bubbles shot out of Crabrawler's mouth, hitting Makuhita.

"Get it together and use Arm Thrust!" shouted Hala. Makuhita ran towards Crabrawler and began to punch her in the face. Crabrawler, however, looked completely fine. "WHAT?!"

"Heh, training paid off! Now go for another Bubble Beam!" Another jet shout out and hit Makuhita, knocking it out.

"Return Makuhita. You did well." Hala was now down to his last Pokemon, but a smirk appeared on his face. "GO CRABRAWLER!" Out came Crabrawler. Collin's own Crabrawler looked pumped up.

"You wanna stay out?" asked Collin. She gave him a simple nod. "Okay. Go for another Bubble Beam!" shouted Collin. However, unlike before, Hala's Crabrawler dodged the attack. There was a glint in his eye.

"Okay Crabrawler, let's show him how we do things in Alola! UNLEASH YOUR Z-MOVE!" said Hala, showing his wrist with a Z-Ring on it. He twisted a Crystal on is and began to preform a dance similar to punching. Aura surrounded his Crabrawler and it's face looked angry. "NOW USE ALL-OUT PUMMELING!" With wicked speed, a fury of fists came flying from Hala's Crabrawler, all connecting with Collin's Crabrawler. The move was so strong, it knocked out his Crabrawler.

"Return!" he shouted. "Sorry Crabrawler. You did you're best." He turned to look at Hala. "So that's how powerful a Z-Move can be."

"Indeed my boy. You ready to call it quits? There's no shame in it!" said Hala with a playful smirk. Collin wasn't one to be taken down so easily and sent out his last Pokemon.

"GO PIPLUP!" Piplup came bursting from his Pokeball.

"Pip Piplup!"

"You ready Piplup?" Piplup nodded. "Okay, use Bubble!" Bubbles appeared from Piplup's mouth and hit Crabrawler. This however, did little damage.

"Use Power-Up Punch!" shouted Hala. The move connected with Piplup, knocking him back hard. Collin was now worried. Dartrix was too weak and Piplup was just as bad. He needed to think of something fast. And just like that, a light bulb went off.

"Piplup, you willing to use a Z-Move?" asked Collin. Piplup nodded weakly. "Okay! UNLEASH Z-MOVE!" he shouted, turning his Normalium Z and did the dance that Ilima thought him. Piplup joined in and an aura surrounded him. "NOW! USE BREAKNECK BLITZ!" Piplup ran and incredible speed towards Crabrawler, sending it flying into the sky. When it landed, it fainted instantly.

"Crabrawler is unable to battle. The winner is Collin!" said Kukui. There were cheers from Lillie at the announcement and claps from the group of people that joined as the match went on.

"YES! WELL DONE PIPLUP!" shouted Collin. A light surrounded Piplup and Collin smiled. He knew what this meant. "Alright! You evolved into Prinplup!" he said, walking over to him and petting his head.

"Prinplup!" he shouted.

"Okay buddy, return." Prinplup returned to his ball. Collin was about to make his way towards Hala when suddenly, his head felt heavy. His vision was going blurry and his legs were shaking. Before he knew what was going on, he fell to the ground. The last words he heard before passing out was Lillie's.

"COLLIN!"

* * *

The first thing Collin felt when his senses came back was feeling cool. As if the sun from Alola wasn't shining on him all day. The next thing he felt was a thin blanket and a fan blowing close to his body. His eyes adjusted to the room and he realized that he was in a room he never been in. His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door opening. 

"Oh thank goodness you're awake!" said Lillie, walking over to where Collin was laying down. She pulled a chair to sit beside him and placed a hand on his head. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I got hit by two million trains." he said bluntly, causing a giggle out of Lillie. He's really grown to love that laugh of hers.

"Well at least it wasn't two million and one trains." she added, giggling even more. "Well you don't have a fever or anything of the sort. I think all the energy you used in that Z-Move tired you out."

"Probably. I guess you were right, I should have got some rest before doing the battle."

"Well next time keep that in mind. I don't want you to hurt yourself more than you should." Lillie got up from the chair and made her way to the door. "By the way, Professor Kukui and Hala are waiting for you. So is Hau, he's just beaten Hala before you woke up. I'll see you there too." With that, she left the room. Collin laid there for a bit before finally getting up. He made his way to the door and was greeted by the cool night breeze. Outside was Hala, Kukui and Hau, just like Lillie said.

"Ah, he's finally awake." said Hala.

"How are you feeling Collin?" asked Kukui. Collin once again brought up the two million trains comment. "Well, at least they weren't real trains. You gave us quite a shock. One minute you're fine, the next you're on the ground passed out."

"Wow! It must have been intense for you to pass out! But you won! So did I and I just got my Fightinium Z!" said Hau, doing his trademark bouncing.

"Oh speaking of that, here's yours Collin." said Hala, handing him a Fightinium Z Crystal to Collin.

"Thank you Hala. It was a great match!"

"That is was my boy. But you must be careful. I recommend you sleep well before you battle the next Kahuna. Which by the way, is apart of your next tasks you two." Hau and Collin were at attention. "You two are now free to go to Akala Island. There you will face three new Trials before you face the Kahuna, so you best train yourselves while you are there."

"But......it's a little too late to do that. I think it's best that we all head home for the night. Especially you Collin." teased Kukui.

"That's not gonna leave me for a while is it?"

"Nope!" said everyone, laughing. Kukui and Hala said their goodbyes and it was just Hau, Lillie and Collin.

"Well I don't know about you guys, but I'm super hyped for tomorrow! We are one step closer to finding who's the best trainer in Alola, right Collin?" said Hau.

"Yeah. Look I'm not gonna hang around here for long. I'm not risking passing out again. Goodnight you two." said Collin, waving goodbye.

"Okay! I'll see you tomorrow!" Hau walked into his grandpa's house for the night. As Collin made his way home, he was stopped by Lillie.

"Hey.....um....I have to ask you something." said Lillie. This caught his attention.

"What is it?"

"Um.....you know how you're going to Akala? Well....I was wondering if you'd continue to keep an eye out for Nebby with me while you are there?" She was looking nervous, as if Collin was going to say no. Instead, he just smiled.

"Of course. I promised you that I'd help you. I'd never break that promise, not in a million years." This brought the smile that Collin also has grown to love.

"Thank you so much! I don't know what I'd do without you!" All of her happiness was gone when a yawn erupted from her mouth. "Okay, I guess I should get back to the lab and sleep. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah, I'll see you too. Goodnight!" he said, as the two walked their different ways. So much happened today on it's own. Between the first Trial, Team Skull, the Kahuna Battle, passing out and bonding with both Hau and especially Lillie, it's no wonder why when he entered his home, he passed out on the bed and slept the night away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the end for Chapter 5. Now be honest, I'm not sure if to continue with the Pokemon battles. I feel like they are my weak spot when it comes to writing as I don't know if I'm writing too much, or too little. So should I cut the battles, or keep them in? Anyway, comments and reviews of any nature are welcomed and as always, I'll see you in the next chapter. Cheerio!


	6. New Island, Old Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright now we move onto the next Island. So much to do, so much to see. Also we get a cameo from Collin's past. Enjoy the chapter!

**Chapter 6-New Island and Old Friends**

Another day past. Collin is now fully rested and hears a knock on his door. Making sure that he's dressed, he answers the door and it's Lillie.

"Good morning Collin! I hope you slept well last night." said Lillie.

"Yeah. I hope that I'm now rested enough though." Collin looked around, feeling awkward around Lillie still. "So um.....how are we getting to the next Island?"

"We are going on Kukui's boat." she said not looking happy. 

"Ugh, another boat? Great." 

"Yeah and it's not any better than the one you came here on. It's actually worse." Collin let out another long groan.

"Perfect. Well I guess we better not waste time. Let's go." The two of them walked side by side towards Hau'oli City pier and were greeted by Hau and Kukui. On the water was a average size boat that looked like it had better days.

"Alola! Did you get sleep Collin?" asked Kukui.

"Yeah I did. Thanks for asking." said Collin in a deadpan voice. "Morning Hau."

"Good morning to you too Collin! Man I can't wait till we get to Akala. I've never been there so it's gonna be so cool!" Hau's smile was just infectious.

"Yeah but.......Kukui do we have to go on that?" asked Collin, pointing to the boat.

"I have to agree with Collin. Isn't it a bit too old for sailing?" said Lillie.

"Oh don't knock the old girl. Sure she may be old, but I prefer to call it classic. Can't go wrong with that right?"

"It can if it sinks." said Collin, bluntly.

"Professor, it won't sink right?" asked Hau.

"Of course it won't. Collin's only teasing. Anyway, ALL ABOARD!" The group piled into the boat and they sailed off. Despite it's old design, the boat was going faster than Collin expected.

"KUKUI! HOW FAST IS IT GOING?!" shouted Collin over the waves.

"ABOUT 21 KNOTS!"

"21 KNOTS?! YOU BETTER HOPE THESE WATERS HAVE NO ROCKS!" shouted Collin.

"WAHOOO! I CAN FEEL THE WIND IN MY HAIR! LILLIE?! YOU ENJOYING THIS?!" shouted Hau.

"NOT ONE BIT! I FEEL LIKE I'M GOING TO BE SICK!" Lillie practically slumped down to the deck. She wasn't feeling well at all.

"HEY COLLIN! I THINK LILLIE'S NOT FEELING WELL!" shouted Hau. Collin was immediately by her side.

"Hey, you okay?" he said close to her ear so she could hear him. The closeness made her blush a bit, but it bought the colour back to her face.

"Y-Yeah. I'm not much of a traveler."

"We'll be there soon. Just hang on. And if you need to get sick, don't worry about it. No shame in it." he said. Before he knew it, her face went green and she lunged over the side of the boat and began to vomit. "Okay okay." he said, patting her back. "We're just about there now. Let it all out." The boat was now slowing down as they got to the port of Heahea City.

* * *

"Land ahoy!" shouted Hau. Kukui slowly docked the boat and everyone got off, with Collin holding Lillie steady.

"You okay now?" he asked.

"Yeah. I feel much better. Arceus that was embarrassing!" Collin's face broke into a smile.

"I think that's the first time you used the lords name in vain!"

"O-OH! Um.....sorry!" she said, looking away and blushing.

"Oh boy that was some wild ride!" said Hau. Kukui began to laugh.

"Don't sweat it Lillie. This land certainly is ahoy, oh boy!!" While Hau and Kukui were laughing, Lillie and Collin's face were as blank as ever.

"That's......just......no." said Collin.

"Hmm? Is that one of Kukui's jokes I hear?" said a new voice. Two women, one looking around the same age as Kukui and the other looking not much older as Hau walked up to the group.

"Oh Alola Olivia! Alola Mallow!" said Kukui, waving at the two. "Just here to drop off these three for the Island Challenge."

"Oh? You three are doing the Island Challenge?" asked Olivia.

"Just the two boys Miss Olivia. I'm just traveling with them." said Lillie.

"Oh that's fine! Some people just like to travel the Islands!" said Mallow, the short one of the two.

"Yep. Well you three, I have some business to take care off here. I'm sure Olivia and Mallow can tell you were to go next. I'll see you all later!" Kukui made his way into Heahea City to do whatever he needed to do.

"So Miss Olivia, where do we go from here?" asked Hau.

"Kahuna Olivia, if you please. And all you have to do is go on Route 4 and you'll come across Paniola Town. Past there is the Water Trial. I'm sure you'll be able to work it out for yourselves after that."

"Yeah. I'll see you in Paniola Town too! I'm the Captain of the Grass Trial and I'll be seeing you later down the road!" said Mallow.

"We best be off. Good luck in your Island Challenge you two!" said Olivia as the two women walked away from the group.

"Wow, we got to meet the Kahuna for Akala already?! That's so awesome! Hey Collin, I'm gonna get a head start on you! I'll see you in Paniola Town!" shouted Hau, running off.

"There he goes again. That boy won't sit still for a second." sighed Collin.

"I think it suits him." said Lillie, giggling. "Why don't we make our way into the city?" Collin nodded and they had a walk around the city. Stopping by another clothes shop, Lillie's bag began to shake. "Oh not now!" she shouted. It was too late. Nebby jumped out of the bag and looked pleased.

"PEW!" it cried.

"Come on Nebby! I said I'll let you out later!" Nebby didn't look happy and floated to Collin.

"PEW!"

"Ugh! Honestly I think he sees you as his dad sometimes." Nebby bounced up and down, agreeing with what she said.

"I'm the dad?" asked Collin. He began to think about it and smiled. "I mean, you're not wrong. I look after him as much as you. Isn't that was a parent does?" This seemed to strike a cord in Lillie as she looked away from Collin.

"Y-Yeah......I guess." she said. Her voice was pretty low and had a hint of sadness in it. Collin was about to question it, but decided not to, thinking it was a touchy subject. Lillie finally looked at Collin again. "Um.....do you mind if I stay at the hotel here in the city while you do your Trials? I'm gonna be meeting with someone here soon." Collin was surprised but nodded.

"Sure. That's no problem at all. If you need anything, make sure to call me and I'll come." They exchanged numbers and they said their goodbyes. "I'll see you when I finish the Trials here!" shouted Collin.

"Yeah! I'll see you then!" shouted Lillie as she walked toward the hotel. Now, Collin was on his own.

* * *

After doing a little bit of exploring and asking around, Collin found out that Route 4 was just pass the hotel. As he made his way there, he noticed two familiar figures. 

"Well fuck me, look who it is." he said, smiling. The two figures turned to face Collin and their faces were of shock.

"COLLIN?!" the two of them shouted.

"Hi Dexio, Sina. Been a while." said Collin. The three of them got into a hug.

"I didn't expect to see you here!" said Dexio  "Why are you here by the way?"

"Well I was supposed to relax but I got roped into the Island Challenge here. You know how it is for me, never a dull moment." he said with a hint of snark. "So why are you two here?"

"We are on our honeymoon!" said Sina.

"Acreus! You two got married?! When, why didn't invite me to the wedding, and congratulations!" said Collin, shaking there hands.

"First, thank you. Second, we got married just last month. And third, it was a private wedding with family. Sorry." said Sina.

"Ah it's no problem. Any big plans for the honeymoon?"

"Actually, Professor Sycamore asked us to-"

"Wait, Sycamore is asking you two to work on your honeymoon?!" said Collin, interrupting Dexio.

"Well actually his wording was something like "if you get the time to, can you do this for me?" but yeah, we are working on our honeymoon." confessed Dexio.

"Fuck that's rough. I hope it's not too much."

"Actually it's not too bad. He asked us to see if there was any evidence of Zygarde here." said Sina.

"Zygarde. As in the Zygarde I took down in that cave?" asked Collin.

"Well there is evidence of a second Zygarde in Alola. So far we got nothing but at least it's an excuse to travel Alola." said Dexio, hugging Sina.

"Well that's one way of looking at it. Anyway you two I best head. The fast I finish this challenge, the faster I get to relax. I'll probably bump into ya sometime soon. Enjoy the honeymoon!" said Collin, walking to Route 4.

"Thanks Collin!" shouted Dexio.

"And good luck with the Island Challenge!" shouted Sina. As Collin walked away from the newlywed couple, he wondered if he'd ever get married himself. A question for another day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know the actual ages of Dexio and Sina but for this fic, they are in their 20s. Role with me here people. Also I think this is my shortest chapter as of now. Don't worry, the next chapter should be longer. Anyway, reviews and comments of any nature are welcomed and as always, I'll see you in the next chapter. Cheerio!


	7. Deep Water

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So who's ready to meet the edgy boy? I feel bad about writing for Hau as I feel like I don't write much for him. But I'll try to have him as true to character as possible. Enjoy the chapter!

**Chapter 7-Deep Water**

"Brionne, return!" said Hau. Of course after reaching Paniola Town, Collin and Hau had a battle, in which Collin was the winner. "Man, that was like one of those old Unova movies! I was expecting a tumbleweed to blow past us it was that intense."

"Yeah. Your Pokemon are really getting strong Hau. Keep it up man." Collin was very impressed of how well Hau was improving in battles. He became less sloppy and more confident.

"Wow! You think I can be as good as you one day?" asked Hau.

"Well honestly Hau, it's not about being as good or better than someone. I've seen many people loose it because they can't get better than one person. As long as you have fun while on a journey, that at the end of the day is the most important thing." The light seemed to glimmer in Hau's eyes. "But to answer your question, I think you can be better than me one day if you keep trying. And I'm being serous when I say that."

"You can count on me! I've only been on the road for at least a day, and already I'm learning so much. Not just from you, but from battling other trainers and taking care of my Pokemon. It's hard, but that's what makes it fun." said Hau, his smile never leaving him.

"Exactly. So, what are you going to do now?"

"I'm gonna head to the Water Trial. I'm sure Pikachu can handle it no problem at all. I guess I'll see you there!" Hau walked off to the trial, like he said. As usual, Collin stayed behind to train more. Upon healing up his Pokemon again, he made his way towards the Water Trial. Along the way, he spotted Hau outside another Pokemon Center and some other guy Collin never saw before.

"Pikachu! Return!" he heard Hau say. "Man, that was some Pokemon battle! I need to get some serous training done before I tackle the Trial. Woo boy this is gonna be good!" said Hau, his smile not leaving his face. The other guy didn't seem impressed, rather more annoyed than anything.

"Are you even taking this seriously?" the unknown person asked.

"Do I need to? As long as I'm enjoying the challenge, that's all that matters to me!"

"......Enjoying it? You can enjoy Pokemon battles when you put everything you have into it.....which clearly you haven't." said the unknown person. Somehow, someway, this took the smile off Hau. Collin had just enough of this and butted in.

"Hey! Who the hell do you think you are huh?" asked Collin.

"Hey Collin, this guy is pretty strong." said Hau cheering up but still looking down.

"You're Collin?" asked the person.

"Yeah. That's my name. Want anything else? Phone number? Bank card? The name of my mother's pet Goldeen?" said Collin, showing his snark.

"Not wise are you? Most people would keep there names to themselves rather than let strangers know them." said the person. To say Collin was confused was an understatement.

"What in the blue hell are you talking about? Have you ever met a human before? Isn't that the whole point of getting to know someone?" he questioned.

"Hmph. Fine. My name is Gladion and my-"

"Nice to meet you Gladion. I'm glad we got onto the same page here." said Collin, interrupting Gladion. Again, Gladion wasn't impressed.

"Tch, as I was saying. My partner, Null, battle to make ourselves stronger. I woke as an enforcer to Team Skull, despite only doing small jobs." Hearing the words "Team Skull" come out of his mouth already took Collin's mood away.

"Team Skull? Buddy, you just made a mistake. You wanna mess with my friend here and go on about Team Skull? I'm not gonna allow that." said Collin getting is Pokeball out.

"So be it. Battle me, and I won't take no for an answer!"

* * *

"GO NULL!"

"GO CRABRAWLER!" The two Pokemon shot out of their Pokeball's prepared for battle. "Let's start off with a Rock Smash!" Crabrawler pulled it's fist back and punched the weird looking Pokemon in it's chest area. Despite this, it looked like very little damage was dealt.

"Null! Use Tackle!" Null charged forward and unleashed a powerful tackle. With a lack of speed, it made up for it in power.

"Come on Crabrawler! You can tank that!" shouted Collin. Crabrawler got up and nodded. "Good job. Keep your distance and use Bubble Beam!" Bubbles shot from Crabrawlers mouth and hit Null. She now looked tired and turned to Collin, showing him she's tired. "Okay, you done the best you could. Return!" he said getting her Pokeball out.

"Null, use Pursuit!" Without warning, Null was chasing Crabrawler and managed to hit her just before she got into her Pokeball. She was sent flying and landed on the ground, knocked out.

"CRABRAWLER! UGH, YOU DIRTY FUCKER!" shouted Collin. "Return. I'm so sorry I wasn't fast enough." Crabrawler returned to it's ball. "GO PRINPLUP!"

"Give up. It's not like you're going to win." said Gladion as soon as Prinplup came out.

"Oh buddy, you have no idea what I've faced. Prinplup, use Metal Claw!" Prinplups arms became sharp as steel and he raced towards Null, slicing at the Pokemon. Null cried out in pain and knocked Prinplup back.

"Damn it Null! Come on you can do it! USE TACKLE!"

"DODGE AND USE METAL CLAW AGAIN!" Prinplup managed to dodge the attack and sliced at Null. This was too much for him and the Pokemon fell to the ground, defeated.

"Null, return!"

"Phew, well done Prinplup!" said Collin, returning both their Pokemon to their balls.

"Ugh, how annoying. It's not like me to slip up that badly. I guess I'm still not ready." said Gladion, looking away.

"Ready for what? You're strong I'll give you that."

"It doesn't matter to you. That kid though," he said, pointing to Hau. "His Pokemon aren't weak. And sure it's fine to enjoy battles. But the brat uses it as an excuse to not try hard enough!"

"Hey! I do try hard enough!" said Hau.

"Just give up already. You'll never beat me, you'll just get your Pokemon hurt for no reason." said Gladion. This made Collin's blood boil.

"Now hold on here. Who do you think you are? Hau can do whatever he wants. And you, you better get out of this stupid edgy teen phase you have. You'd never make any friends or even a good relationship with it. Now I suggest you leave to where ever you need to go, because I'm done with you." said Collin through his teeth.

"Tch, whatever." said Gladion, walking back to Heahea City.

"Man, that guy has issues. Thanks for standing up for me Collin!" said Hau, his smile returning.

"No problem. Hey, don't listen to him. He's just some edgy teen who thinks he knows everything. Don't let him to you."

"Yeah. Still, I think I should train a bit more before doing the Water Trial. What are you gonna do?"

"I'm gonna heal up my team and head for the Trial. Might as well get it over with. Where are you going to train?" asked Collin.

"Probably around Route 4........after I eat some Malasada's. I'll see you later Collin!" Hau walked back to Route 4, while Collin healed up his Pokemon, and headed to the Water Trail.

* * *

Upon entering what was known as Brooklet Hill, rain poured down from the sky. It was the first time he saw rain since being in Alola. It absolutely covered him but it was refreshing after being in the sun for so long. The feeling of the rain got to him so much that he didn't noticed a young woman approach him.

"Hello. I'm Lana. I'm the Captain of the Water Trial. I assume you are here for the Trial?" said Lana.

"Yeah, name's Collin."

"Well Collin, you look like a strong trainer. Can you help me with something?" she asked, showing puppy-dog eyes.

"Okay, what is it?" said Collin.

"Just follow me and I'll show you." The two walked further into Brooklet Hill till they reached a series of lakes. On one of the lakes was a large ripple that expanded the whole lake. "You see that? There must be some fearsome Pokemon in there. So, brave Trial-Goer, can you investigate what's under there please? You can use Lapras to help you across the water." Taking said Lapras, Collin made his way to the source of the ripples. However when he got close, Pokemon seemed to swim away from him and he had to battle a single fish. He used Dartrix to take care of the Pokemon.

"What was that?" he asked.

"That was Wishiwashi. Seems that more of them have gone to the other lakes. Can you take care of them while you are here?" As Collin went through the lakes, he wasn't sure if this was apart of the Trial, or she was using him to do her job. Either way, he continued to get rid of the Wishiwashi.

"How many of these things is there?" he asked, almost out of breath.

"Could be tons. You think that's bad? I had to take down Kyogre once." she said with a deadpan voice. Collin however, due to past experience, didn't believe a word she said.

"Yeah right. Sure you did."

"Darn. People normally fall for that. You're smart. By the way, I think I saw the last one go into that lake over there." she said, pointing to the biggest lake in the Hill. He followed her down the path and noticed the pillars that were the same as the one he saw in the Normal Trial.

"So wait.....I WAS doing the Trial and not helping with a problem?"

"Yep. Sorry, but that's the way it works for this Trial. Anyway, you passed the normal part, now you must face the Totem Pokemon. Be careful, this guy isn't pretty." Sure enough, Collin made his way onto the water to meet the Totem Pokemon. He saw what looked like a bunch of Wishiwashi come together and make whatever was under the water bigger. Suddenly, a large Pokemon, way bigger than the Wishiwashi he face, jumped out of the water and faced him. The same aura that surrounded the last Totem Pokemon surrounded the massive Wishiwashi.

"OKAY! GO DARTRIX!" Dartrtix appeared out of his ball and prepared to attack. "Use Razor Leaf!" The sharp leafs hit the Wishiwashi hard, causing it to summon another Wishiwashi for aid. However, Collin was prepared. "Dodge their attacks and use Razor Leaf again!" More leafs shot out and hit both Wishiwashi's. To Collin's surprise, both Pokemon fainted, ending the Trial. Lana was watching and her mouth was agape.

"Wow.....that.....was.....quick. Honestly I didn't think you'd beat it that fast." she said as Collin came to sure.

"I mean, I did have a Grass Type Pokemon. So it was an easy win from the get go."

"Very true. Anyway, congratulations! You passed your second Trial and now you get Waterium Z." She handed the Crystal to Collin. "Now, here's how you activate the Z-Crystal." She proceded to dance, using her arms in a wave motion to emulate water flow. "Still, it's amazing how big and different water Pokemon can be. Did you know I once caught a Red Gyarados?"

"Oh really now?" said Collin, raising his eyebrows. This got a giggle out of Lana.

"Heh, I thought I'd get you with that one. Anyway, up next is the Fire Trial. You'll need to head to Royal Avenue to get to it. It's just south of Route 5. Maybe I'll see you again sometime."

"Maybe. Thanks again for the Z-Crystal and directions! Bye!" Collin exited the Trial no problem. With two Z-Crystals on his Ring and the way to go to next, Collin had the feeling this wasn't going to be as short as last time. With his mind on Gladion, he hoped he'd never bump into him again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was actually quite a struggle to write for some reason. At one point I wanted to give up. But I'll keep going as much as I can. Not sure if uploads will be consistent though so hopefully you'll understand. Comments and reviews of any nature are welcomed and as always, I'll see you in the next chapter. Cheerio!


	8. Royal Fire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so not sure how well this chapter is going to go. Either way, I do hope you enjoy it!

**Chapter 8-Royal Fire**

After a rather uneventful Water Trial, Collin made his way to the Royal Avenue as instructed by Lana. When he got there, it seemed that everyone in town was focused on a massive building that was in the middle of town. Curious about what the building was, he made his way towards the building and spotted someone he hoped not to see again.

"Hmm.....come on Null, let's go drown our sorrows in the crowd" said Gladion, walking into the building.

"Oh for fuck sake, why is HE here?" said Collin out loud. Despite this, he followed Gladion and entered the building. Upon entering the building, the main area was full of people, too many for Collin to hear what they were saying. He then spotted another familiar face and this time, it was someone he was more than happy to see.

"COLLIN!" shouted Hau, walking towards Collin.

"Hey Hau! Did you manage to do more training?"

"Oh yeah! My team is super trained up now and totally ready for the Water Trial!" said Hau. Hey, you gonna compete in the Battle Royal?" asked Hau.

"Battle Royal? What's that?"

"I CAN ANSWER THAT!" shouted a man. Collin and Hau looked up to the balcony and saw a man wearing a mask. Collin mentally slapped himself in the face, knowing who was under the mask, his beard gave it away.

"Oh my Arceus! It's the Masked Royal!" said Hau who looked absolutely star struck!

"Oh ho! It's always great to meet a fan!" said the "Masked Royal" walking towards the two males. "So you wanna know how a Battle Royal works young man?"

"Yeah I kinda do......Professor." said Collin, showing a smirk across his face. Despite being under mask, he could tell the "Masked Royal" was sweating.

"Um.....I think you have confused me with someone else!"

"Yeah Collin. I doubt Professor Kukui is the Masked Royal. He's in Heahea city by now!" said Hau.

"Yeah....right....sure.....whatever. So "Masked Royal", what are Battle Royals?" asked Collin. The Masked Royal seemed to recover from Collin's comment and returned to his confident state.

"I'm glad you asked! Four trainers faced each other in a Free For All battle! Pokemon with the most health after one Pokemon is knocked out is the winner!" The Masked Royal looked pumped up. "So, you two wanna join me for a Battle Royal?"

"Sure fuck it, might as well do it." said Collin bluntly.

"YEAH! But wait, don't we need another person?" asked Hau.

"True. Hmm......." The Masked Royal looked around and noticed Gladion.

"You there! Why don't you join us for a Battle Royal?" he asked. Gladion however, didn't look impressed.

"Tch, fine." he said, walking into the Battle Arena, leaving the other three stunned.

".......okay.......I'll see you two in there!" The Masked Royal made his way into the Battle Arena, followed by Hau and Collin.

* * *

Of course, Collin came out the victor, targeting the Masked Royal's Rockruff with Prinplup. All four exited the Battle Arena and came out with different feelings.

"Man! You really know how this works Collin! You should try to become a regular challenger here!" said the Masked Royal.

"Eh, honestly it's not for me. I do see the appeal. Maybe sometime in the future when I get the time I'll come back."

"I'm gonna totally try to take this as a back up plan in case I don't pass the Island Challenge!" said Hau smiling. "What about you Gladion? What did you think?"

"What does it matter to you? Never asked for an annoyance to ask how I feel about things." he said with a dark look on his face. "You wanna take my advice to heart." And with that, he left the building. Hau was not looking happy, he looked pissed.

"Tch, someone is waking up on the wrong side of the fucking bed." he said before realizing what he said and covered his mouth. ".....please tell me you didn't hear that you two." he said, muffled by his hands. The Masked Royal could only nod.

".....Honestly Hau, cursing doesn't suit you at all." Hau nodded at Collin's response.

"I'm.....just.....gonna...go.....I'll see you......some other time." said Hau, awkwardly and left the building. It was just Collin and the Masked Royal now.

"Poor Hau, I think that Gladion fella is giving him too much of a hard time."

"He's an asshole. We just met him earlier today and the fucker thought he was so cool. I shut his trap that's for sure. If he ever goes after Hau again, I'll be pissed."

"Just don't get yourself in trouble." The Masked Royal let out a mighty roar. "Well I better get back to battling! Enjoy your Island Challenge!"

"I will......Professor." said Collin, leaving with a massive smirk on his face and the Masked Royal stunned again. After some asking around, Collin found out that the Fire Trial was up on the Wela Volcano Park.

* * *

Collin made his way towards the Park and climbed it. He thought Alola was hot enough, but this was ridiculous. He begged that the Trial was quick and easy like the last one. After battling some trainers, he came across a Pokemon.

"Ssssssssss!" it hissed at him.

"GO PRINPLUP! Use Bubble Beam!" The beam hit the lizard like Pokemon and knocked it out. "Alright, Pokeball go!" Collin through a Pokeball toward the Pokemon and after three shakes, the Pokemon was caught. "Yes! Rotom, what's the Pokemon?" Out of his back came Rotom.

"Salandit. The toxic lizard Pokemon. Fire and Poison. Female. It burns its bodily fluids to create a poisonous gas. When its enemies become disoriented from inhaling the gas, it attacks them. You got lucky cuzzz! From whatz I waz told, only Female Salandit can evolve!" Rotom returned to the bag with a zap.

"Huh, guess I am lucky." After collecting Salandit and more training, Collin finally made his way to the entrance of the Fire Trial. Entering the Fire Trial, he noticed a man standing next to what looked like Marowak but....different. The man turned to face Collin.

"Welcome Challenger! I am Captain Kiawe of the Fire Trial. I assume you are here for the Trial itself." said Kiawe

"Yes. Before we start, what's with the Marowak? I never seen a Marowak like that before."

"I guess you could call it Alolan Marowak. Instead of a Ground Type, it's a Ghost and Fire Type."

"So that's that's what Professor Oak was talking about. Mind if I take a picture of one? I need to send this to Professor Oak for research." asked Collin.

"Sure, these Marowak love to pose." After a few pictures were taken, Collin returned to where he was standing, preparing for the Trial. "Now, your Trial is simple in concept, but the challenge is there. You'll be examining these three Marowak's dances. They'll will dance twice and you'll need to find what was different about the dance."

"So spot the different?"

"In a way yeah. You up for the challenge?" Collin nodded in response. "Okay! The Trial Starts..................NOW! Marowak, do your thing!" The three Marowak got onto the stage and began to dance. Collin studied the dance as carefully as he could. The second dance was preformed and Collin noticed the difference. 

"There! The Marowak on the left is in a different pose than the last dance."

"B-But how?!.......you have good eyesight. Come Marowak!" The Marowak came and prepared to attack. Collin sent out Prinplup and took it down easily. "Marowak was so impressed by your skills, it had to come down and challenge you. Anyway, onto the next dance!" The three Marowaks got back on stage and began to dance. When the second dance began, a flash of white blinded Collin for a second. Thinking this would add challenge, his eyes adjusted and saw a hiker in front of the Marowak.

".........It's......the.....hiker....." said Collin, gobsmacked by how ridiculous it was.

"Yes! Good that you didn't fall for the trick!"

_What fucking trick?!_ thought Collin before the Hiker sprinted up to him.

"ALOLA!" he cried before starting a battle, before once again Collin winning. While Collin was upset with how easy the Trial was so far, he had to admit it had charm and it was funny to witness.

"Okay, you're on to the final dance! Marowak, do your thing!" The Marowak's joined on stage for the final time and preformed a dance. The ending pose was a Marowak taking a picture with the other two Marowak posing and the Hiker in the middle. The second dance began but in the end pose, a new Pokemon was in the "frame". It looked like his new Salandit but was much taller and feminine looking. He knew exactly what it was.

"The Totem Pokemon is new!" he shouted.

"Well done! Totem Pokemon, begin your fight!" shouted Kiawe.

* * *

The Totem Pokemon faced Collin, ready for battle.

"HISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!" it cried.

"GO PRINPLUP!" Prinplup came out of it's Pokeball and prepared to attack. "Alright let's make this quick! UNLEASH Z-MOVE!" shouted Collin, using the Waterium Z with Prinplup. He did the dancing motion that Lana taught him and aura surrounded Prinplup. "NOW USE HYDRO VORTEX!" Prinplup set out a massive wave of water covering the Pokemon. He then circled around the Pokemon, causing it to be bashed about in a vortex. When the water cleared, Collin's mouth was wide open. The Totem Pokemon looked unharmed!

"Hissss!" it cried and it looked like it was laughing.

"W-w-what just happened?!" shouted Collin. The Totem Pokemon continued to laugh even harder.

"It looks like Salazzle has caught onto what other Trial Goers have been doing. So she sent out a Salandit to take the Z-Move from her.

"Clever girl. Looks like we'll need to do this the hard way!" Prinplup prepared himself to attack once more. The Salazzle shot Toxic out her mouth that was heading to Prinplup. "Dodge and use Bubble Beam!" Between the fire, poison and water, the stage was covered and almost broken. By the end of it all, the Salazzle fell to the ground, defeated. Prinplup slowly fainted himself and was returned to his ball. Kiawe was still in shock.

"I-I-I can't believe you done the Trial! Normally this is where everyone fails at least once!" Kiawe recovered from the shock and walked over to Collin, smiling widely. "Congratulations, you've beaten the Fire Trial. You win the FIrium Z!" Kiawe handed the Z-Crystal to Collin, which he took.

"Thank you. So what is the next Trial?" asked Collin.

"The next Trial is the Grass Trial, just head north on the path you came here and you should be able to make your way to Lush Jungle. That's where the Trial is."

"Okay. Thanks Captain Kiawe." said Collin, just about to leave.

"Wait!" shouted Kiawe, making Collin stop. "I just want to say, because of how well you did the Trial, you can barrow my Charizard to travel to what is called Poke Pelago. I think it might catch your interest." said Kiawe, handing the details to Collin's Ride Pager.

"Thanks, I'll do that now. COME CHARIZARD!" shouted Collin as Charizard appeared. Collin got onto him and it began to fly away, before waving at Kiawe.

* * *

Collin landed on a lush island that was teaming with plant life and tons of Pokemon. They all seemed to be playing with each other or eating. A man wearing a sun hat and white shirt was feeding some Pokemon before he spotted Collin.

"Ah hello new friend! My name is Mohn and I run the Poke Pelago. Here, I look after Pokemon that have been put into trainer's PC Boxes. It allows the Pokemon to run free, be happy and even train." said Mohn.

"Wow. Never knew something like this existed. No other regions seemed to have this idea."

"Yes well it's a fairly new thing. I hope that one day it could catch on. Say, why don't you have a look around. I'm sure some of these Pokemon will be great to your Pokedex."

"How did you know I have a Pokedex?" asked Collin.

"Most trainers who come here use it to fill up their dex. So I assumed you have one. Go ahead." Collin did just that. He spent a solid ten minute checking new Pokemon and deciding if he should use one if he comes across them in the future.

"This place reminds me of Professor Oak's garden back in Kanto." said Collin.

"Hmm....that name is familiar." said Mohn.

"I guess he's not as big over here compared to Kukui huh?"

"Kukui? Never heard of him. Sorry lad, I'm afraid I have a touch of memory loss. It's been hard to remember things for the past ten years." confessed Mohn.

"That's a shame. Who knows, maybe it will come back one day."

"Hopefully." Collin continued to look around for another few minutes before he decided he seen enough.

"Okay Mohn I'm gonna head back to the Akala. Gotta finish the Island Challenge and all."

"Not a problem my boy. Please do drop by from time to time. You'll never know what Pokemon could be here." said Mohn

"I'll be sure to do that. Bye Mohn!" said Collin, jumping onto Charizard and flying away from the Pelago. Something about Mohn did feel familiar, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Maybe the hair? Either way, Collin didn't let it get to him as he landed at the foot of the volcano and began to make his way towards the next Trial.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another struggle with this one. Honestly I'm super happy the next island only has two Trials that I have to write for. I think those are the problems I'm having with. Either way, reviews and comments of any nature are welcomed and as always, I'll see you in the next chapter. Cheerio!


	9. Rumble in the Jungle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Final Trial of the Island! Woo! Also we'll meet another character from Collin's past.....not one he'd like to meet again though but hey, what can you do? Enjoy!

**Chapter 9-Rumble in the Jungle**

Making his way along Route 8, Collin trained up his newly caught Salandit for the next Trial knowing it was Grass. Challenging trainers and Pokemon a like, he managed to get Salandit to a level that he felt was comfortable. By the time he was finished, it was night time and he camped out for the night. As he woke up, washed, dressed and about to make his way to the Trial, he heard something like a keyboard being pressed contently by someone. Stopping to look behind him, he couldn't believe who it was.

"YOU!" he said with venom in his voice. "What the hell are you doing here Colress?!" Colress got closer to Collin, showing a smile and half closed eyes.

"Ah, Collin Clarkson. I remember you from Unova from the whole Team Plasma take over, right?"

"Yeah. And I remember you worked for them, captured Kyurem which by the way, almost froze me to death!" shouted Collin at the top of his voice.

"Yes I do remember that. You must understand that I wished no harm to anyone. I was blinded by research, rather than think about what was going on outside of it. While I don't expect to be forgiven anytime soon, I do apologize to what my actions may have caused in the past for you and the whole of Unova." Collin didn't really know how to feel about this.

"I supposed I can let it go for now. But if I find out that you are doing anything similar, you're dead buddy. And I mean it." Collin's voice was deep and slow when he said that, showing he really did mean it.

"I highly doubt I'd try to let myself fall into that trap again. I've actually been researching Z-Crystals and their power to unlock special moves for Pokemon. It seems that these Z-Crystals aren't from this world."

"So.....alien? How can Pokemon use them if they are alien?" asked Collin.

"It's not too farfetched to think that. Many Pokemon on earth have ties with outer space. You of all people should know that."

"True. Still the idea of something that small having a powerful affect on a Pokemon. It's kinda scary when you think about it." Collin felt a shiver go down his spine.

"Yes well that's what my research is all about. I also have to wonder which one is more powerful. Mega Stones, or Z-Crystals. The world is truly a mystery. I need to report my findings to the Aether Foundation." This peaked Collin's interest.

"Aether Foundation? What's that?"

"Ah yes. The Aether Foundation is made up of some of the best scientist in all of Alola and is an organization that helps protect the Pokemon of the region." said Colress.

"Sounds like Team Plasma again."

"Far from it. They don't take Pokemon off people, they just look after ones that have been abandoned."

"If you say so." said Collin, not fully convinced.

"Well I best get back to my research. I believe I've taken up enough of your time. Take this TM for Flame Charge, that should help you in your next Trial, wouldn't you say?" Colress handed the TM to Collin, which he took hesitantly.

"I guess. See ya. Remember, if I find out you're doing anything similar to Team Plasma, I'm coming after you." Collin walked away from Colress and to the Trail. Of all the people he thought he'd meet again, Colress was the last one he expected. Colress was walking back to the foot of the volcano, lost in thought.

_Hmm. I can't get involved. But I hope he finds out what's going on soon, or the whole of Alola, no, the world is doomed._

* * *

Battling more trainers, Collin finally made his way to the Lush Jungle. The humid air hit him like a truck and he was panting like crazy. Before he could pass out, a splash of water covered his body.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!" shouted Collin. He turned around and saw Lana and Kiawe walking behind him.

"Haha. We thought you needed a cool down. The jungle can kill a man."said Lana Collin honestly couldn't tell if it was a joke or not.

"Also we are here for Mallow's food. She's a cook after all." said Kiawe.

"That's right! And that's your Trial!" said a new voice behind Collin.

"Oh hey Mallow. You never told me your a cook."

"Yep and like I said, that's apart of your Trial. I'll need ingredients to make my Mallow's Special. I need a Mago Berry, a Tiny Mushroom, a Revival Herb and a Miracle Seed. After that, we'll have a Mallow Special ready to eat!" The idea alone made Collin hungry.

"Are you sure this is apart of the Trial? I mean it sounds like I'm on one of those celebrity cooking challenges on TV."

"That's because it is." said Lana.

"What?" said Collin. "You are joking right?"

"Don't listen to Lana! The reason why you need to do this, aside from cooking and eating, it should attract the Totem Pokemon, who only comes out from the scent of my food. Trust me."

"Well you are the Captain after all. So, Mago Berry, Tiny Mushroom, Revival Herb and Miracle Seed. They all in the Jungle?" asked Collin.

"Yep. You can use my Stoutland to help you search. You'll might run into some Pokemon that have those ingredients so prepare to fight."

"Okay. That shouldn't be a problem." said Collin as Stoutland came towards him. "So I just get on him right?"

"That's the idea." said Mallow. "Okay, you ready? Your Trial starts....................NOW!" Like a bullet, Collin shot off into the Jungle to find the ingredients. He found the first ingredient and came back to the pot that was beginning to boil with water and Mallow, Lana and Kiawe around it.

"Found the Mago Berry."

"Great! Pop it into the pot." Collin did just that and the smell began to fill the area. "Mmm, smells good, but we'll need the rest." Collin set off again to find more ingredients. As he came back, the three friends were talking about something.

"What's going on here?" asked Collin, putting two ingredients into the pot.

"Oh we were just talking about something years ago." said Mallow.

"While you're here, tell us about yourself." said Kiawe.

"Yeah, what secrets do you have?" asked Lana, smirking.

"Not much to tell really. Born in Kanto and traveled most of the regions. My life isn't special." he said.

"I beg to differ. Your eyes tell a lot you know. You look like you've seen a lot of things on your travels." said Lana. Collin looked away from the group.

"Sometimes you have to grow up fast. A lot of things happened, I don't feel comfortable telling people I don't really know. I hope you understand."

"That's fine, we understand." said Kiawe. "Hopefully one day you'll tell us. If you stay in Alola that is."

"Well that's the plan. After the Island Challenge, I'm done traveling." said Collin.

"WHAT?!" they all cried.

"But you're only, what, eighteen? That's way too young to stop traveling!" said Mallow.

"Like I said, I had to grow up fast."

"Yeah but-"

"I made my choice long before coming here. I just got roped into doing the Island Challenge. Now if you excuse me, I'm going to get that last ingredient." said Collin, cutting off Lana and walking back into the forest. When he came back, the others were still around the pot, waiting for the last ingredient. When they saw Collin, they stopped talking until Mallow was the first to speak up.

"Collin, sorry about earlier. We shouldn't have judged your choice."

"Yeah, it was very uncalled for." said Lana

"We just didn't expect that." said Kiawe.

"It's okay guys. I have my reasons and I understand it's odd. But my made my choice and I'm sticking with it. Anyway, here's the last ingredient." Collin put the final ingredient into the pot. "So now what?"

"Well now, if Lana adds her Rock Salt in and Kiawe hands over his Rare Bone, you can start mixing!" The Rock Salt was added and Collin took the Rare Bone and began to mix. "Great! Now pound it!" Collin did exactly what Mallow told him. "CRUSH IT AND TURN IT TO GOO!" Mallow really go into the cooking mood. Suddenly a strong smell began to come from the food.

"Man, that's strong!" shouted Lana.

"Yep! That Totem Pokemon should be close by." said Mallow.

* * *

A low rumble was heard in the distance that caught everyone off guard. Collin began to look everywhere in front of him but there was no sign of the Totem Pokemon. He noticed Lana, Kiawe and Mallow looking behind him and he felt a chill down his spine.

"It's right behind me, isn't it." he said. The three nodded and he turned around slowly. The Totem Pokemon was larger than him by a long shot and let out a cry. "Mallow! What's that Pokemon?!" he asked, walking backwards to cover ground.

"That's Totem Lurantis! You better be careful! Even with the Firium Z, she's a tough cookie!" said Mallow.

"Gotcha! Okay, GO SALANDIT!" Out came the lizard Pokemon, ready to battle. "Okay, this is your first major battle. No pressure okay girl?" Salandit nodded in response. "Good! Now, use Flame Charge to increase your speed!" Salandit was surrounded by flames and rushed forward to the Totem Pokemon, hitting it square in the chest. "NICE!"

"LAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" it cried, sending out a Razor Leaf, which Salandit dodged. It let out another cry, making a Castform come to it's side.

"Castform? Why would a Castform........wait a second!" His might put two and two together. "Okay Salandit, go for a Flame Burst!" A fireball shot from Salandit's mouth and hitting the Totem Lurantis, with the splash damage hitting the Castform. Lurantis used it's vines to heal itself from the damage dealt while Castform used Sunny Day to turn it into a fire type and help Lurantis, just like Collin predicted. "Salandit, return for now! Go Prinplup!" shouted Collin,

"PRINPLUP!" shouted the Pokemon, coming out of the ball.

"Use Bubble Beam on the Castform!" shouted Collin. The beam shot at Castform, knocking it out cold. Lurantis took this advantage to charge up a Solar Beam, which due to Sunny Day managed to charge up fully right away. The Solar Beam hit Prinplup, knocking him down clean. "Good job Prinplup!" he said, returning him to his ball. "Go Salandit!"

"Hiss!" cried Salandit.

"Okay! Use Flame Charge to get the speed you lost!" The flames surrounded Salandit just as Lurantis charged another Solar Beam. "DODGE!" shouted Collin. In the last second possible, Salandit jumped into the air and cleanly dodged the Solar Beam, hitting Lurantis with Flame Charge.

"Laaaaaaaa!" it cried in pain. The hit was enough to weaken it by a good margin.

"Okay! Let's take this home! UNLEASH Z-MOVE!" shouted Collin, showing his Z-Ring and twisting the Firium Z. He preformed the dance that Kiawe showed him. A strong aura now surrounded Salandit and was ready to unleash it's Z-Move. "NOW! USE INFERNO OVERDRIVE!" A large ball of flame surrounded Salandit and she raced towards the Totem Pokemon. A massive explosion covered the whole area and when the smoke cleared, the Totem Lurantis was out cold. "YES! WELL DONE SALANDIT!" Salandit returned to it's ball, victorious. 

"That was amazing! You knew what the Castform was gonna do and, while you didn't defeat it right away, managed to stop it from doing more harm to your Pokemon. For that, you get the Grassium Z!" said Mallow, handing over the Z-Crystal.

"Woo! So that was the last Trial right?" asked Collin.

"Yep! All that is left now is the Kahuna. But that's then, this is now. We still have the Mallow Special to eat!" Everyone gathered around the pot and began to eat the stew. While Collin was enjoying the blend of spices, he noticed something was wrong with with Lana and Kiawe.

"It's......."

"So......."

"SPICY!" the two shouted, running out of the Jungle.

"HEY! IS MY COOKING HORRIBLE TO YOU TWO?!" shouted Mallow, running after them. Collin was alone, eating in silence now till someone came from behind him.

"Mmm! That the Mallow Special? Man that girl can cook the tastes buds off you." said the man. Collin turned to see who it was.

"Oh hey Kukui." he said, finishing his bowl of Mallow Special. "I just finished the last Trial on the Island. So where is the Kahuna? Olivia right?" asked Collin.

"Yes and unfortunately you won't be battling her for a while." confessed Kukui.

"WHAT?!" shouted Collin, causing some bird Pokemon to become restless.

"Some business has come up that she needs to attend to......aka she's trying to get a boyfriend. She won't be taking any challenges for at least a week."

"Damn. Oh well, guess I could take some time off." said Collin, sighing heavily.

"That's the way to look at it. Come back to Heahea City and spend the week there. I'm sure Lillie will be grateful. Also, while you're in Heahea City, meet me in the Dimensional Research Lab. There is someone I'd like to introduce to you." said Kukui.

"Sure. I'll make my way to the City once I'm done a little more training for the day."

"Okay cousin. I'll see you there!" said Kukui walking off. Collin let out another long sigh.

"Great. So much for getting this over quickly." he said to himself. "At least I get to spend time with Lillie." This made him blush, something he hasn't done thinking about a girl since Hoenn. Maybe things won't be so bad in the end.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I WAS WRITING THIS WHEN THE SITE WENT DOWN! SCARE THE HELL OF ME BECAUSE I THOUGHT EVERYTHING WAS LOST! Anyway the next two chapters will be a break in the story to let the characters flesh out. They might not be too big but we'll see how it goes. Reviews and comments of any nature are welcomed and as always, I'll see you in the next chapter. Cheerio!


	10. Ultra Reunion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The adventure will now take a break as we meet another old friend and Collin finally opens up to Hau and Lillie.

**Chapter 10-Ultra Reunion**

It was a long trek, but Collin finally made a loop around Akala Island and got back to Heahea City. After asking around, he found out where the Dimensional Research Lab was and made his way towards it. Just as he was about to turn the corner, he heard a familiar voice.

"Nebby! Use.....Splash!" said Lillie. Nebby, of course, didn't do anything.

"Pew?" it cried out.

"Sorry Nebby. I just wanted to be like Collin. He's so cool in Pokemon battles. Maybe one day you'll be able to defend for yourself."

"PEW!" cried Nebby, looking behind Lillie to see Collin and floated towards him. "PEW!" he cried and jumped into Collin's arms.

"Hey buddy! Been good for Mama?" asked Collin.

"Pew." he said, as a yes.

"Has he been good Mama?" he asked Lillie, thinking he wasn't telling the whole truth.

"Oh he has. He's only been coming out of the bag when I tell him to now. Though I think he missed his "Dada"" she said, giggling.

"I bet he did. So, you were training him huh?"

"Y-You s-saw that?" Collin nodded in response. "Well....kinda. It's just.....I wanna be a trainer. I've been watching so battles online and they looked so cool. I was afraid that Pokemon would be hurt in battles but after doing research and watching you and Hau battle, I found out that it's not the case. But......I don't think I'll be able to be a trainer." she confessed. Collin put Nebby down and walked over to her.

"Hey, there is loads of time to become a trainer. You don't need to rush into it. Some people start at ten, some start at thirty. Just take your time and one day, you'll be a trainer." he said with confidence.

"Would you help me when that day comes?"

"Of course. Wouldn't miss it for the world." he said smiling. This caused both of them to blush. "Ahem. So this is the Dimensional Research Lab?"

"Y-Yeah. Um...Professor Kukui is already inside. Shall we go in?" The two made their way into the building. The receptionist seemed to know Lillie and allowed her to use the elevator to get to the top floor. The floor was full of researchers and scientists, all looking at massive screens that Collin, if giving time, could understand. They spotted Kukui and walked over to him.

"Alola honey!" he cried. He turned around to see Lillie and Collin. "Oh hey Lillie, Collin. Glad you can make it." A tan woman was now making her way to the group, a woman Collin knew all too well. "Collin, I'd like you to meet-"

"Professor Burent!" said Collin, holding his hand out to shake.

"Collin Clarkson!? You didn't tell me you were here!" she said shaking his hand.

"Oh? You two know each other?" asked Kukui.

"Back in Unova, Collin helped me with research. Remember when I told you about that trainer that helped me with the breakthrough?"

"THAT WAS HIM?!" shouted Kukui. "WOO BOY IF I WOULD HAVE KNOWN I'D PRAISE THE DAYLIGHTS OUT OF YOU!"

"W-What?" asked Collin.

"Because of her research, we met at a Professors Conference. Three years later, we married!" said Kukui.

"WAIT THE TWO OF YOU ARE TOGETHER!?"

"Yep!" said Burent.

"Oh Arceus, this is already a good start." said Lillie, sighing at how over the top everything is.

"Anyway, is Hau not here today?" asked Burent.

"You know Hau, he does his own thing. But he's determined in what he does. He'll be a Kahuna no problem, probably even take over for Hala in the future." said Kukui just as the elevator doors opened.

"YOU MEAN IT?!" asked Hau, finally joining the group.

"Well, I do actually." said Kukui. "So honey, mind telling everyone why we are here?"

"Of course." Burent straighten herself out and prepared her speech. "Here in the lab, we research rips in time and space. Dimensions that we once thought impossible. However, we've discovered something massive that is only taking place here in Alola. ULTRA WORMHOLES!" she shouted.

"Ultra Wormholes?" asked Lillie.

"Yes. These rips in space are said to lead into another dimension or more. As of now they are only myth and legend, but I think there is evidence of them being true. Not to mention the Tapu's of each Island were said to battle creatures known in those legends as Ultra Beasts."

"Ultra Beasts?" asked Hau.

"Powerful creatures that were said to attack people and Pokemon alike. Until the Tapu's defeated them and drove them back into the Ultra Wormholes. Again, only myth and legend for now, but the idea isn't out of the question. Right Collin?" she said, turning to Collin. Everyone turned to Collin, making him flustered.

"Um well, when I helped Professor Burnet in Unova, we found out about the Interdream Zone. A pocket dimension that had a lot of rare Pokemon and the Pokemon Thundurus, Tornadus and Landorus in there Therian Forms." explained Collin. Hau and Lillie looked stunned.

"Wow! That's so cool!" said Hau. "You've really done a lot in the past huh?"

"More than you think." he said vaguely.

"Also there is information of many Pokemon traveling through dimensions in the Pokedex and books. We just need solid proof of the Ultra Wormhole and we'll be at a breakthrough. Collin, feel free to have a look around while you are here." Collin did just that. He walked around the lab, finding old books about Pokemon, talking with researchers and looking at the figures on the screens. He then turned to Lillie, who was looking at Professor Burnet. 

"You know her too?" asked Collin.

"Yeah. She found me washed up on the beach three months ago with Cosmog. She was the one who let me be Kukui's assistant. Without her, I don't know where I'd be. She's like a mother to me." she confessed.

"You don't have a mom?"

"I do but.....I'd rather not talk about it if that's okay." Collin understood and dropped the conversation. "Hey, I was wondering. If you don't have a place to say during the week, why don't you and Hau stay in my hotel room?"

"You sure? I mean I don't want to impose." said Collin.

"Nonsense. There's way too much room for just one person. It's been rather lonely these few days without the two of you."

"Well......okay. I'll ask Hau about it." Of course, Hau agreed to staying with Collin and Lillie. After a few hours pasted, it was evening and the trio made they're way out of the lab.

"Bye Professor Kukui and Professor Burnet!" shouted Hau.

"Bye you three. Happy to see you again Collin!" shouted Burnet at them.

"You too!" The three exited the lab and made their way to the hotel.

* * *

After ordering take out, the three entered the room and began there feast. They talked random topics, looked at videos online and other things. Then all of a sudden, there was a slap. Lillie and Collin to see Hau with his hand on his face.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE I DIDN'T NOTICE!" he shouted.

"Notice what?" asked Collin. Hau sat up and took a deep breath.

"Okay, your full name is Collin Clarkson right?" asked Hau.

"Yeah. What's wrong?"

"Corrected me if I'm wrong, but are you the same Collin Clarkson who took down Team Flare in Kalos?!" Lillie's face went from confused to shocked in a matter of seconds.

"NO WAY! YOU CAN'T BE!" she shout, her hands covering her mouth. Collin was now kicking himself thanks to Burnet saying his last name. He looked annoyed.

"Ugh, guess the cat's out of the bag. Yes, I am that Collin Clarkson." The room as silent, say for Hau who was almost squealing like a school girl.

"Oh my Arceus! I can't believe I'm in front of the hero of Kalos! If they didn't blur out your face on the TV I would have totally lost it!"

"So you really did save Kalos? It must have been dangerous." said Lillie.

"I've been through worse." he said without realizing.

"How could there be worse?" asked Hau. "You stopped a laser from destroying the world!" Collin was now kicking himself harder. His head was split in two.

_Should I tell them? Do I trust them enough to keep it to themselves?_ he thought. With a long and heavy sigh, Collin looked at the two. "Okay, what I'm about to say cannot, and I mean cannot, be said to anyone. Swear to me you will never say this to anyone."

"I swear to you on every Malasada in Alola." An odd swear but Collin knew he meant it.

"I swear on my life to never tell anyone." said Lillie.

"Okay. I haven't just taken down Team Flare. In every region I've been to, there has always been an evil team. You know that right?" asked Collin.

"Yeah like Team Plasma in Unova." said Hau.

"And Team Rocket in Kanto." said Lillie.

"Among others. Everyone of them has been taken down by someone. That someone is me." Collin confessed.

"WHAT?!" shouted the two other teens.

"Yeah. You name it. Team Rocket, Aqua, Magma, Galactic, Plasma, Neo Plasma and Flare. Everyone of them was taken down by me. But that's not the end. Remember when Kukui brought up Groudon back in Iki Town?" he said turning to Lillie.

"Yeah I did." Lillie then pieced two and two together and her eyes widened. "Don't tell me you've-"

"Yes. I've faced Groudon. And many others. Name any Legendary Pokemon and I have faced it. I never catch them, but I have their data in my Pokedex's to prove it."

"No way." said Hau, speechless. "Wait, when you say every Legendary, does that mean Mythical Pokemon too? DID YOU FACE ARCEUS?!" 

"Yes." The room was silent again, waiting for a response. "It's a long story, but I faced him and defeated him. It's something I'd never want to experience again."

"You really have been through a lot, haven't you?" said Lillie, concerned.

"I've been to places no trainer has ever been. I've almost died many times. I've kept my face away from the public when it comes to this stuff. Only a few people know what I've done and they've kept quiet so far. Kalos was the first time I was known, but I asked for my face to be blurred on TV. The Leagues also keep quiet, which is why Poke Centers never bring attention to me." Collin was almost out of breath, everything was just crashing down on him.

"Arceus.........you okay Collin?" said Hau. Collin was looking down on the ground as tears began to form.

"I've traveled for so long. My mom supported me through it all. Then one day, I come home from a visit to Hoenn and there she is, on the ground, not breathing." The tears started to fall faster. "I moved here to Alola to relax and get away from it all, but now I'm stuck doing this stupid Island Challenge!" He punched the wall, sending a sharp pain through his hand. Hau and Lillie didn't know what to do. "I miss her so much!" The waterworks were now flowing. Without a second wasted, both Lillie and Hau were by his side, hugging him for dear life.

"Collin, it's going to be alright." said Hau holding his arm.

"Let it all out. Please, it's been in you for so long and it's time you let it out." said Lillie, rubbing his back for comfort.  Slowly, Collin recovered and looked at the two with a tear stained face.

"T-Thank you. Seriously, thank you." he said hugging them both. "I didn't mean to get that emotional." 

"Don't be like that! It's okay to say these things." said Hau.

"Yeah. You've helped a lot already, now let us help you." said Lillie, smiling. Collin's face became red, looking at Lillie's face when she smiled.

"How about you tell us other things that happened on your journey?" said Hau. Collin let out a yawn in reply.

"Honestly Hau, I'm tired after all of that. Tomorrow okay?"

"Okay. I can't wait!"

"I guess we should all go to sleep. It will be best for us. I'll be in my room, night boys." Lillie left the main room and into the bedroom. The two boys set up temporay beds out of the couch and let sleep take them. Collin was now feeling better from telling his friends about his time fighting evil teams and Legendary Pokemon and about his mom's passing, let sleep take him away for the night. He needed this week break just as much as anyone else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cat's out of the bag now! Anyway, reviews and comments of any nature are welcomed and as always, I'll see you in the next chapter. Cheerio!


	11. Week of Relaxing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Collin and friends decide to use the week to know each other more and do a bit of shopping. Also, Lillie and Collin have a day to themselves. Also as a reminder, the characters in this story are of the age of 18 or over.

**Chapter 11-Week of Relaxing**

The smell of shampoo and the sound of the shower running was enough to wake Collin up from his sleep. The night before tired him out so much that he didn't even change his travel clothes. Cracking his bones as he got up from his couch bed, he noticed Hau wasn't in the room. Not worried about it, he got himself a glass of water just as Lillie came out of the shower, looking a lot more fresh, while still wearing the same white dress. Her hair was wrapped around a towel.

"You seriously not have any other clothes?" asked Collin, taking a sip of his water.

"Morning to you too." she replied, sticking her tongue out. "And no I don't really. This is all I have." she said, taking the towel off and brushing her hair.

"Well why don't we head into town and buy some new clothes?" he suggested, surprising Lillie.

"Really? Um....I think I'm okay for now. I wash this every three days anyway just before bed so it's ready in the morning."

"Still doesn't hurt to have a spare set just in case." said he. Lillie began to think about it before smiling.

"Okay, I guess one new set of clothes couldn't hurt." she said.

"By the way, do you know where Hau is?" asked Collin.

"Oh Hau? He's in the town getting breakfast. Probably Malasada's knowing him."

"Loves his Malasada's huh. Soon he'll turn into one." said Collin, laughing.

"I honestly think he'd be happy with that. He could eat himself!" said Lillie, joining in with the laughing just as the door to the room opened.

"Hey, at least I'll turn into something that I love." said Hau, putting the bags of shopping down. Everyone was now laughing at the idea of Hau being a Malasada. Collin let out a long stretch and made his way towards the bathroom.

"I'm just going for a quick wash you two." he said, walking into the bathroom before they could respond. Five minutes later, he came out looking refreshed. "So what's for breakfast?" he asked.

"Take a wild guess." said Lillie, showing unusual snark on her end. 

"Hey! These are breakfast Malasada's!" said Hau, pouting.

"How much do you wanna bet that they say they are breakfast Malasada's when in reality they are the same ones but with the words "breakfast" slapped on them?" Collin's smirk was wider than ever saying that.

"Maybe......but it doesn't matter because they are good!" said Hau in defense as he began to eat one.

"Whatever you say Hau." replied Collin but started eating one and so did Lillie. They finished their breakfast and planned their day, with Hau doing more training and Collin and Lillie doing some shopping.

* * *

Walking down to Heahea City's clothes store, Collin and Lillie were standing close to each other. Being so close, the two couldn't help but blush just as they turned into the clothes store. The smell of freshly pressed clothes filled Collin's nose and he regretted even going in.

"Sorry, I can't stand the smell of clothes." he confessed holding his nose.

"Honestly, while I do like clothes, I hate being in the shops because of the smell too." said Lillie with a look of disgust across her face.

"Well let's try to make this quick okay?" Lillie nodded and the two began to look around. After spending ten minutes looking around, Lillie spotted something she liked. 

"Collin! Look at this!" she said holding up a snow white T-Shirt and snow white shorts. "What do you think of these?" Collin mentally pictured her wearing them and blushed heavily.

"U-Um....why don't you try them in the changing room? See for yourself." Lillie did just that and walked into the changing room. Two minutes later, she came out in the new clothes and Collin had to stop himself from having a nose bleed. She was that cute.

"How do I look?" asked Lillie, spinning around in place. Collin needed a moment to collect his words.

"Y-You look a-amazing! Maybe if you tie your hair back it would complete the look." he suggested.

"Do you really think so?"

"Yeah I really do. So, you going to get this?" asked Collin.

"Yes! I love them. I'll just get changed back into my old clothes and I'll buy them. You can wait outside for me if you want."

"Sure. I'll do that. See you in a bit." With that, Collin left the shop to let Lillie change and buy the clothes. Not long after, she came out with the old clothes on her and a shopping back. "So you gonna change into the new clothes tomorrow?"

"Actually, I'm going to wait. I'm too used to wearing this and I can get one more wash out of it. After that though, I'll wear these. Okay?"

"Sure. They're your clothes, not mine. Wanna get lunch?" asked Collin. The two made their way to a cafe that allowed Pokemon to be out. Collin sent out his Prinplup, Dratrix, Crabrawler and Salandit and ordered food for them, Lillie and himself. They all ate in silence for a while before Lillie spoke up.

"Hey, how do you feel about last night?" she asked. Collin knew what she was talking about and smiled.

"I'm much better now. Thanks for being there with me. Same for Hau. Honestly I don't know what I'd be like without you two." he said truthfully.

"It's no problem Collin. I mean it. If you feel like your ready to say any more to us, feel free to okay?" said Lillie.

"Yeah. Same for you." This confused Lillie for a second.

"W-what do you mean?" she asked.

"I know you're hiding stuff from us Lillie. I can tell." Lillie looked away from Collin. "Look, I'm not going to pry, but when you feel like talking about it I'll be all ears to listen okay?" She looked back at Collin to see a warm smile across his face.

"Okay. I'm just not ready to talk about it yet."

"That's fine. Come on, let's finish lunch and we'll meet up with Hau." They finished lunch and Collin returned the Pokemon to their Balls. They made their way to Route 4 to where Hau was train. He spotted Collin and sprinted up to him.

"Hey Collin! Wanna have a battle? It's been a while since our last one."

"Sure Hau, make sure your Pokemon are healed. I wanna see how much you improved." Hau healed up his Pokemon and the two were ready to battle. "Lillie, if you wanna be a trainer, keep your eyes on this battle!"

"Okay! Best of luck you two!" said Lillie, watching from the side lines.

* * *

With each down to their last Pokemon, the two trainers started panting from all the shouting and screaming. Lillie was watching in awe as the two took out their last Pokemon.

"GO BRIONNE!"

"GO DARTRIX!" The two Pokemon came out and were ready to battle "Use Razor Leaf!" shouted Collin and sharp leafs were thrown at Brionne.

"Dodge and use Bubble Beam!" The Pokemon managed to dodge the leafs and the beam of water hit Dartrix with a critical hit. This crippled Dartrix hard as it fell to the ground, panting.

"Come on Dartrix! You can do it buddy! One Razor Leaf can do it!"

"Finish it with Disarming Voice!" The two Pokemon attacked with both of their moves connecting, causing dust and grass to cover the seen.

"I can't see a thing!" shouted Lillie. With the dust clearing, both Pokemon were on the ground, knocked out. "Who fell first?" asked Lillie.

"I don't know." said Collin.

"Me too." said Hau. "Draw?"

"Yeah, we'll call it a draw. Well done Hau! You're really getting the hang of training!" said Collin, returning Dartrix and shaking Hau's hand.

"I'm one step closer to beating you!" said Hau happily and then doubled back, feeling bad. "I-I-I didn't mean that in a smug way! I-It's just...you know...." He looked at Collin who was just smiling.

"It's fine Hau. It's alright to say that stuff. And you will if you keep it up."

"Yeah. Between the Trials and the training, I'm ready for anything. Gladion was wrong!" said Hau. Lillie looked at the boys confused.

"Gladion?" she asked.

"Yeah this edgy looking guy with a weird Pokemon said I should quit. Heh, wait till he sees me now!"

"You know him Lillie?" asked Collin,

"N-no. I just.....I never heard you talk about this person before." she said looking away. Collin was sure she wasn't telling the whole truth, but let it slide for now.

"Okay. Why don't we head back to the hotel?" The others nodded and made their way back to the hotel.

* * *

When they got there it was night time and they ordered dinner for the night. They sat around the table eating like yesterday. The memories from yesterday came back and the room was silent until Hau spoke up.

"Um.....if it's okay, do you mind talking about....you know?" he said quietly.

"Sure. What do you wanna know?" asked Collin. Hau coughed and thought about what he was going to say carefully.

"So.....um.....I know your mom is....gone." he said while all three grimmest. "But what about your dad?" Collin stopped eating for a second and began to laugh out loud, making Lillie and Hau worried.

"Collin? You okay?" asked Lillie as the laughing continued.

"I'm sorry! But the idea of my dad actually giving a shit about me and my mom is so fucking funny!" he laughed out and began to slow down. "I should explain. Remember when I said I took down Team Rocket?"

"Yeah." the both of them replied.

"Well it turns out that my dad, Giovanni, was the leader of Team Rocket." said Collin.

"WHAT?!" shouted Hau.

"NO WAY!" shouted Lillie.

"Yes way. I had to face him countless times. I've not seen him since the Pokemon World Tournament in Unova. He said he's "reformed" but I don't believe a word of it. He's out there somewhere, plotting. I'll be ready for him." It was like a fire was coming off him, he was that angry thinking about his father.

"Wow. That must be harsh." said Hau.

"It gets better. A year after I finished in Kanto I went to Johto and I found out that I have a brother! Amazing how that works out eh?!" said Collin, standing up,

"You have a brother?!" said Lillie, shocked finding this out.

"Well half brother. My father had him before me with another woman. His name is Silver."

"Do you talk to him?" asked Hau.

"Oh yeah. He was a prick when we first met, like extreme prick. But over time we warmed up to each other. Later on we found out that we were half brothers and we've bonded better since." said Collin, sitting back down.

"Wow. Where is Silver by the way?" asked Lillie.

"Still in Johto with his wife Kris. They are expecting a child soon." he said, smiling about it.

"Aw that's sweet. I hope we get to see the baby." said Lillie, clasping her hands together.

"Speaking of wife, every been with someone Collin?" said Hau, wiggling his eyebrows. Collin blushed but chuckled.

"I loved someone, never actually been with them though. Her name was May and I met her in the Hoenn region. She was nice, funny and cute. Asked her out but she didn't feel the same."

"Aw that's a shame." said Lillie.

"I didn't let it get to me. She ended up getting with another kid called Wally. Nice guy and well deserving of her. I met them a few months ago when I went back to Hoenn for a visit." said Collin.

"Damn man, unlucky." said Hau.

"What about you Hau? Got any girl you like?" said Collin, raising his eyebrow. Hau began to fidget and looked away.

"I.....um.....don't swing that way." he confessed. He was expecting to be chewed out by his two friends but he was met with blank looks.

"Oh! I didn't know. Well what guy then?" asked Collin. This confused Hau.

"W-Wait you guys okay with it?" asked Hau.

"Yeah. I'm Bi myself." said Collin, eating his food.

"I'm Bi too. There's nothing to worry, we support you one hundred percent!" said Lillie, smiling at him.

"Thank you guys. But to answer your question, no not really. I need to find the perfect someone." he said. "What about you Lillie? Do you like someone?"

"Um......I do......but you guys wouldn't know him. It's more of a crush on a famous person more than anything." she said, dodging the question. They finished their food while Collin talked more about his adventures, the good and the bad. By the time they were finished, it was late.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm beat." said Hau, yawning.

"Same. I'm gonna sleep like a Slowpoke tonight." said Lillie. "I'm going to bed. Goodnight boys, have a good sleep." she said, walking into the bedroom, leaving the other two alone to get ready. Hau laid on his bed and began to smirk.

"You like Lillie don't you?" he asked. Collin froze up completely. "Don't lie, I know how you act around her."

"It's just a simple crush. We've barely known each other anyway. Doesn't matter, probably doesn't feel the same way anyway." said Collin getting into his foldout bed.

"Whatever you say buddy. Goodnight."

"Night." The lights were out and Collin began to think about how Lillie feels about him. And more over, how he feels about Lillie. Is it a crush? Or something more? A question for another time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Planting the seeds as I go eh? Anyway, reviews and comments of any nature are welcomed and as always, I'll see you in the next chapter. Cheerio!


	12. Hand Holding Through the Caves

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we are off to the final town of Akala. But we'll have to get through Diglett's Tunnel first. We also meet some rather interesting characters along the way.

**Chapter 12-Hand Holding Through the Cave**

A week has past and Collin and Hau were giving the go ahead to finish their time on Akala. They met up with Kukui and Lillie outside of a cave.

"Okay you two. Olivia said to meet her in Konikoni City. One problem, the only way to get to it is through Diglett Tunnel." said Kukui, pointing at the cave.

"Heh, reminds me of Diglett Cave in Kanto." said Collin.

"Well be shocked and amazed as that's basically what this tunnel is. It shouldn't be too dangerous but from what I heard from Olivia is that there was some Team Skull goons hanging around."

"They shouldn't be a problem to us! Right Collin?" asked Hau.

"Pfft, does a Ursaring shit in the woods?" said Collin, bluntly so. "You guys ready to go?" he asked. Hau was already sprinting ahead.

"I'll see you in the tunnel Slowpokes!" he said waving.

"BE CAREFUL HAU!" shouted Kukui. He sighed but smiled. "That kid has so much energy, nothing will let him down."

"Yeah. Lillie, ready to head in?" asked Collin. Lillie seemed hesitant to talk for a second.

"Actually.....do you mind if I check something in town? I might have seen something that caught my interest. You can go on ahead if you like." she said.

"Okay. Give me a shout when you're in the tunnel. Okay?"

"Okay. I'll see you soon!" she said walking back to the city. Collin let out a sigh and looked at the tunnel

"I'll see you whenever Kukui." Collin made his way into the tunnel just as Kukui wished him good luck. When Collin entered the tunnel, he was surprised out how bright it was compared to Diglett's Cave back in Kanto. Just like the name suggested, he did come across a bunch of Diglett with weird strands of hair sticking out. He took care of them no problem and went deeper into the tunnel. Collin then heard voices in the distance. Taking his time, he walked towards the voices so they became audible.

"I'm telling you, Team Skull need to back off here." said one male voice.

"I know. They keep edging themselves too close, making it dangerous for everyone. You'd think they'd learn by now." said a female voice.

"Well they seemed to have not done too much damage anyway and there is no sign of them. Wanna make a leave?" asked the male voice.

"Sure. This tunnel gives me the creeps." Collin walked closer to the people talking and saw they were wearing completely white clothing, including the hats. The female notice Collin right away. "Alola! Are you a challenger on the Island Challenge?" she asked.

"Yeah actually. I'm just on my way to Konikoni City to face Kahuna Olivia. Is there a problem?" asked Collin.

"Oh no. Not anymore at least. Aether heard about trouble in Diglett's Tunnel and we were sent out to investigate. Other than a few annoyed Diglett, the cave is fine." said the male.

"Oh wait, you're the Aether Foundation right?" asked Collin.

"Yep. I guess you must be new here. We of the Aether Foundation make sure that all Pokemon in Alola are protected from harm. We also looked after lost or injured Pokemon. We pride ourselves on this." said the female grunt.

"Yeah well you better hope it stays that way. I don't want another Team Plasma like in Unova." said Collin.

"I can assure you sir that we are far from what Team Plasma was like in Alola." said the male grunt, holding his hand in the air.

"Sorry, after having them all over Unova, kinda hard to trust anyone who protect Pokemon as their job. You seem fine though so I'll get over it." said Collin.

"Thank you for understanding sir. Unfortunately we best head back to the foundation. Feel free to visit the Foundation any time you like. Island Challengers are always welcomed." said the female grunt.

"Yeah. Bye for now and good luck on your Island Challenge." said the male grunt as the two walked deeper into the tunnel. Collin wasn't sure what to think of them, but he didn't let it get to him and walked deeper into the tunnel.

* * *

As Collin continued in tunnel, he was beginning to wonder where Lillie was. His train of thought was cut when a loud scream was heard from behind him. His instincts kicked in and ran towards the screaming. When he found the source of the screaming, his face became one of horror as he saw Lillie, on the ground, crying, with a hoard of Zubat surrounding her. 

"SHOO! SHOO! OFF WITH YA!" he shouted, running towards the Zubat. Of course they wouldn't move and kept trying to hurt Lillie. "FINE YOU ASKED FOR IT! GO DARTRIX!" he shouted and Dartrix came to the rescue. "USE RAZOR LEAF!" The leafs shot right at the Zubat and like he predicted, they all fainted at the same time. Calling Dartrix back to his ball, Collin went to Lillie who was still on the ground crying. He placed a hand on her and she jumped back.

"NO! GO AWAY! DON'T HURT ME!" she screamed out.

"Lillie, it's me!" he said trying to hold her. She tried so hard to get away from his grip.

"DON'T HURT ME!" she screamed again. Collin gently cupped her face in his hands and made her look at him.

"Lillie, it's me Collin. Look at me Lillie it's okay now." he whispered. Lillie finally looked at him and calmed down. Without any warning, she jumped onto him and hugged him like her life depended on it.

"Collin! I'm so sorry! I-I was walking in the tunnel and then those Z-Zubat came and attacked me. I didn't mean to distract you and have you come all t-the way back." she said, still crying from the experience. Collin started to rub her back to calm her down more.

"It's okay. You didn't distract me. Your safety matters to me more than getting through the damn tunnel." he said. He noticed something was different. In the past few days whenever he was close to Lillie, he'd blush like crazy. But now, he didn't feel like that. Something about holding her, calming her down, felt natural.

"Are you sure?" she asked with a voice that was barely a whisper. 

"As sure as anything. Come on, let's get out of this tunnel." he said grabbing a hold of Lillie's hand to lift her up. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine now. Thank you Collin." she said as they walked into the tunnel while still holding hands. Neither of them brought it to mention as, like before, it felt natural. As they walked further, they managed to see Hau and two other figures in black. Collin knew who they were and sighed.

"Lillie, hide behind that rock for a second." said Collin, pointing to said rock.

"Okay, be careful." She hid behind the rock and walked up to meet Hau. "Sup Hau, these dick head bothering you?"

"Nah, I was just ready to battle them."

"Battle them? Hau, they aren't even worth battling!" said Collin, laughing.

"WHAT YOU SAY BRO?!" said the male Team Skull grunt.

"YOU'RE ABOUT TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU MESS WITH US!" said the female grunt.

"What do you say Hau, wanna shut their traps?" said Collin taking out his Pokeball.

"Way ahead of you buddy!"

* * *

The Team Skull grunts lay defeated on the tunnel ground. Collin and Hau returned their Pokemon and high five each other.

"So, you gonna leave the tunnel or what?" said Collin. The grunts moaned as they got up from the ground.

"Just you wait till Big Sis hears about this. She'll take you down hard!" said the female grunt.

"Yeah! You're dead now boi!" said the male grunt, making Collin actually face palm because the grunt said that.

"Yeah well I couldn't give a shit if your "Big Sis" finds out. I'll take her down as well." said Collin, showing the wicked grin he did back in Hau'oli City. This caused the grunts to tremble.

"Y-Y-You're asking for trouble now Bos-boi!" said the grunt, correcting himself.

"S-S-See you dead meat!" said the female grunt as they ran out of the tunnel. Hau was confused about what just happened.

"Do you have any idea what they are on about?" asked Hau.

"Not a damn clue. Nor do I care." said Collin. He turned around to the rock Lillie was hiding behind. "Okay Lillie, it's safe now."

"Wait she was here?" asked Hau. She walked out from behind the rock and to the boys.

"Yeah why did you make me hide?" she asked

"Because they'd make you a target. No Pokemon, easy target." said Collin.

"Wait, would they have attacked Lillie if she was here?" asked Hau.

"Wouldn't put it pass them. I've seen it happen before on people who don't have Pokemon." Collin frown at the thought.

"Wow......thanks again Collin for that." said Lillie.

"It's no problem. Come on, the exit is there so let's get out of this damn tunnel." The two friends nodded and made their way out of the tunnel. The sunshine hit them hard as they finally got out of the tunnel. Hau started to sniff the air and let out a loud sign.

"Man! Who would have known being stuck in a tunnel would make you so stuffy!" said Hau, breathing in the clean air. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm gonna head into the City and stuff my face of Malasada's. I'll see you there!" he said, running off to the city.

"How many more do you think he'll eat before he turns into one?" asked Collin.

"I give another hundred. Hundred and one max." joked Lillie as the two laughed. "I guess you shouldn't keep Kahuna Olivia waiting. Let's go."

"Yeah." The two began to make their way to the city, with their hands still together, not one of them questioning it or stopping as they entered Konikoni City.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of a short one today guys. I hope you don't mind. Anyway, reviews and comments of any nature are welcomed and as always, I'll see you in the next chapter. Cheerio!


	13. Of Aether, Kahunas and Skulls

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Plumeria, Kahuna Battle AND meeting more Aether members? Gonna be a packed chapter for you today!

**Chapter 13-Of Aether, Kahunas and Skulls**

Still holding hands, Collin and Lillie walked around Konikoni City in search of Kahuna Olivia. After spending an hour looking, they finally caved in and asked someone.

"Excuse me!" said Collin, talking to an old lady.

"Hmm. What is it my boy?" asked the old lady.

"I was wondering if you could tell me where I can find Kahuna Olivia? I want to challenge her." explained Collin.

"Oh no worry dear. She's normally in her stone shop." she said pointing towards a number of shops. "It's the one with the stone on the sign."

"Okay. Thank you!" said Lillie as they waved goodbye to the old lady and entered the shop. When they entered, the shop was deserted, no sign of life could be seen. "Miss Olivia?" called Lillie. A cry was heard from upstairs. "EK!" she cried as a Probopass floated down the stairs.

"Oh hi there buddy." said Collin. Lillie was amazed how calm he was, considering how strange of a Pokemon it was. "I've used one in Sinnoh so I know how to handle them."

"That explains a lot." said Lillie until she noticed something. "Collin, I think Probopass has something in it's mouth." The Probopass cried at this acknowledgement and floated over to the two and handed them the letter. It read;

_Dear Collin and/or Hau,_

_If you are looking to battle me, I'll be at The Ruins of Life. They are just east of the exit to Diglett Tunnel. Sorry I couldn't be in the city to battle, Kahuna business and all that. I look forward to challenging the both of you._

_yours, Kahuna Olivia._

"Well that explains it. Why don't you go ahead Collin while I get Hau and explain to him? He shouldn't be far." said Lillie.

"Sure. I'll see you at the Ruins. Bye!" said Collin, leaving the shop and Lillie. He walked out of the city after healing his Pokemon and headed to what was known as Memorial Hill. After fight some wild Pokemon and trainers, he was just about to reach the end of Memorial Hill until he spotted some interesting people. It was two Team Skull grunts, an Aether Foundation grunt, and some lanky man. They seemed to be deep into a conversation.

"Oh you two! Leave the Slowpoke alone!" shouted the the Aether grunt.

"Yeah right! Like we'd do that!" said the male Skull grunt.

"Yeah, these Slowpoke tails go for high prices! We'll be rich!" said the female grunt.

"Slow?" cried the Slowpoke, confused as ever. The lanky man stood up right and sighed.

"Oh dear. Seems we'll have to stop you by force." he said with a monotone voice.

"Ha! Like you can do anything to us old man!" said the male grunt. Collin had enough and made himself known to the group.

"Oh? Then how about me?" said Collin, walking in between the Aether members, smirking his wicked grin that he was getting used to using when Team Skull grunts were around.

"Uh....no way man!" said the male grunt running off.

"HEY! DON'T LEAVE ME HANGING!" shouted the female grunt, running away herself. Collin cracked his neck and let out a sigh.

"Ugh, fucking Team Skull." he said in a low voice.

"Ahem, excuse me!" said the Aether grunt behind him and Collin turned around. "Thank you so much for getting us out of that bind. I'm sure Slowpoke is grateful too."

"Po?" cried Slowpoke.

"Indeed." said the lanky man. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Aether Branch Chief Faba. Faba for short if you please. I must congratulate on taking care of those annoyances." 

"It's no problem. The fuckers aren't a problem, don't see how everyone is worried about them." he said bluntly.

"......quite right......what was your name?" asked Faba.

"Collin. Name's Collin."

"Collin, fine name. Anyway, as a token of my thanks, I ask you to meet me at Hano Grand Resort back in Heahea city. Right after you finish your battle with the Kahuna that is. I assume you are on the Island Challenge." said Faba, awkwardly rubbing his hands together.

"Sure......yeah sure I'll see you there." said Collin, reluctantly so.

"Great. Well I think we best be off. I'll see you soon young Collin. Good luck with your battle!" said Faba, as him and the Aether grunt walked back to Diglett Tunnel. Collin couldn't help but get this odd vibe from Faba. Something was off with that man, and Collin didn't like it.

* * *

After clearing Memorial Hill, Collin now ended up what was known as Akala Outskirts. He could smell the sea air better than the city and decided to take a breather. His little break was cut short upon hearing footsteps behind him.

"So, you're the one my brothers and sisters were talking about." said a female voice. "Hmph, you don't look so special to me."

"Who's asking?" said Collin, turning around to see a woman just a little bit taller than him wearing eye shadow and tattoos across her lower body.

"I'm Plumeria. And I help keep Team Skull together. I'm like the big sister to all the idiots in the team." she said.

"Oh you're the "big sister" the picks were talking about! Glad to meet you." said Collin with a fake warm smile. "Now get lost." he said bluntly.

"I would, but do you realize who those "pricks" are to me? Like I said, I'm their big sister. And seeing you bullying my cute, idiot brothers and sisters really pisses me off!" said Plumeria, anger showing in her eyes.

"Well maybe if you grunts quit and actually make something worth of their lives and not waste it acting that some fake gangsters, maybe I wouldn't be like that to them!" he shouted.

"You've stepped into something deep, prepare to get your ass whooped!" she said, getting her Pokeball ready.

"Not before I whip yours first!" he said without realizing what he said.

"GO GOLBAT!"

"GO SALANID!" They sent out their Pokemon and prepared to battle. "Use Flame Burst on that Golbat!" said Collin and the flames came flying.

"Dodge and use Air Cutter!" shouted Plumeria. The gust of wind was blown across the battlefield, hitting Salandit hard.

"Come on girl! You can do it! Focus and use Flame Charge!" The flamed covered Pokemon charged forward and knocked out the Golbat.

"Ugh! Return!" shouted Plumeria. "GO SALANDIT!" Out came her own Salandit and the two began to hiss at each other. Collin got Salandit's ball just before it attacked recklessly.

"Return! GO PRINPLUP!" Out came Prinplup and began to sharpen it's wings. "Let's make this quick! Use Bubble Beam!" The jet of water managed to hit Salandit and knock it out completely.

"Phooey! Return!" said Plumeria and she returned the Pokemon to it's ball. "You're pretty strong I'll give you that. But mess with Team Skull again and I'll show you how serous I can get."

"Oh no I'm shaking in my fucking boots. Give me a break." said Collin, mockingly.

"Hmph, you won't be laughing once Guzma get's involved." she said. This peaked Collin's interest.

"Who's Guzma?"

"Tch, wouldn't you like the know." she said with a smirk and walked off. Collin watch her walk away, confused but honestly not worried and continued his way to the Ruins of Life. When he just about got to the foot of the hill of the ruins, someone was behind him.

"Collin!" shouted a voice and he smiled.

"Hey Lillie. Did you get Hau?" he asked.

"Yeah he's on his way now, still eating Malasada's." she said, thinking about their little joke between them.

"I'm just about to challenge Olivia. Wanna watch?"

"Hell yeah!" she said before covering her mouth and blushing. "um....I mean.....heck yeah......" Collin couldn't help but smile at the poor lady.

"You should curse more. I think it's cute." he said walking off.

"H-Hey! Wait for me!" she cried running to catch up with Collin. The two spotted the dark skinned lady standing just at the exit of the Ruins of Life.

"Excuse me, Kahuna Olivia." called Collin, making her turn around.

"Ah, you are Collin right?" she asked.

"Yeah that's me."

"And you must be Lillie." she said turning to Lillie.

"Y-Yes Kahuna Olivia." responded Lillie.

"Oh just call me Olivia you two, you'll make me feel old!" she said laughing. "I assume you read the letter at my shop and are here to battle me."

"That's right. I'm ready when you are." said Collin.

"Alright then! You've completed all the Trials on Akala Island. Now you face me, Kahuna Olivia. Are you sure you're ready to face me?" she asked.

"I'm more than ready!" confirmed Collin. Lillie moved to the side to allow the playing field to be clear.

"Good luck Collin!" cheered Lillie and Collin gave her a thumbs up.

"Alright, get ready to face my rugged Rock Types!" shouted Olivia. This gave him a clue in what she used and already set a plan in motion.

* * *

"GO NOSEPASS!"

"GO PRINPLUP!" Both Pokemon were sent out to battle and were ready. "Open with a Bubble Beam!" shouted Collin and the jet of water made contact with Nosepass. The attack looked powerful enough to knock it out, but it was still standing. "CRAP! STURDY!"

"That's right! Now hit Prinplup with a Spark!" Collin was so caught off guard that he forgot to tell Prinplup to dodge so the attack hit, sending sparks threw the Penguin Pokemon.

"Damn, you're Paralyzed!" said Collin, his plan already falling apart.

"Finish with another Spark Nosepass!"

"Try to dodge and use Bubble Beam!" shouted Collin. It was a struggle, but Prinplup managed to move out of the way just in time and leaded the Bubble Beam on Nosepass, knocking it out.

"Return Nosepass! GO BOLDORE!" When Boldore came out, Collin was ready to return Prinplup. However, Prinplup didn't move.

"PRIN!" it cried.

"You wanna stay out? You're pushing yourself! Are you sure?" A simple nod was give to him. "If you are sure. Keep trying to dodge and use Bubble Beam again!" he shouted.

"You'll need luck Collin! Headbutt!" shouted Olivia. Just at the last moment again, Prinplup dodged and the Bubble Beam connected.

"Now finish off with a Metal Claw!" Olivia didn't get a chance and the Metal Claw connected, causing Boldore to faint. 

"Return!" called out Olivia. "Your Prinplup is good. But I doubt it's ready for Lycanroc!" she said, throwing out a Pokemon that looked like it belonged in a horror movie.

"Okay Prinplup! Bubble Beam one last time!" shouted Collin. But Prinplup didn't move. "NO PRINPLUP!" Collin knew he was in trouble now that the paralysis kicked in.

"Now's our chance Lycanroc! UNLEASH Z-MOVE!" she shouted and twisted the Z-Crystal. She performed a dance that ended with her flexing her muscles and an aura surrounded Lycanroc. "NOW USE CONTINENTAL CRUSH!" Lycanroc leaped into the air with rocks and boulders from all shapes and sizes gathered around the Pokemon and formed a large chunk of land. Prinplup tried to move as the land hoovered above his head, but it was too late and the chunk slammed down on Prinplup. When the dust cleared, Prinplup was out cold.

"PRINPLUP!" shouted Collin rushing over to his falling Pokemon. "You okay?" he asked.

"Prin.....plup." it said weakly but gave a nod.

"Phew. You need a rest." he said returning the Pokemon to his ball. Collin was wondering how he could come back from it. And then it hit him and his wicked smile was appearing on his face. "GO DARTRIX!" he shouted, throwing out the bird.

"Heh, I thought you threw in the towel there for a second." said Olivia.

"Yeah well I don't give up easily. In fact, this worked in my favor! I would have thought Kahuna's would have used their Z-Move until they were sure it was the last Pokemon." said Collin.

"WHAT?!" cried Olivia, realizing her mistake.

"UNLEASH Z-MOVE!" cried Collin, twisting the Grassium Z that Mallow gave him. He performed the dance that looked like a blooming flower and the aura surrounded Dartrix. "NOW USE BLOOM DOOM!" shouted Collin. A flash of light blinded Lycanroc and the arena was surrounded by flowers. A light shined down on Lycanroc and burst of energy practically cooked the Pokemon. When the flower field cleared and the light was gone, Lycanroc was defeated, and so was Kahuna Olivia.

"Lycanroc, return." she said slowly and let out a sigh. "My my my, you really had me done there Collin. Your Pokemon are stronger than I thought they'd be and that goes to show how good a trainer you are, and how much your Pokemon care about you. You have past the Grand Trial!"

"YES!" shouted Lillie, rushing over to Collin to tackle him into a hug. "You were amazing Collin!" Collin was at a lost for words for a moment but came back to his senses.

"Thanks Lillie." he said, looking at her and smiling.

"Ah.....young love." said Olivia wishfully. Collin and Lillie blushed by the adults comment but strangely didn't get out of the hug until a few seconds after. "Well, for winning the Grand Trial, you get the Rockium Z." she said handing over the Z-Crystal. "Now watch as I perform the dance. Watch and learn." She did the same dance that she did during the battle. Lillie stared closely and a small blush appeared on her face, considering what she was looking at.

"Ahem......So, next Island then Collin?" said Lillie catching herself out of the trance.

"Actually, I was invited by the Faba of the Aether Foundation to visit him in Heahea? You wanna come with?" Lillie's mood changed drastically.

"Um.....actually.......I'm gonna pass on that......oh look here's Hau!" she said distracting Collin.

"Aw man I was hoping to see the battle!" said Hau.

"Oh don't worry Hau, I'm sure you'll prefer actually battling me rather than watching right?" said Olivia.

"That's true." he said and his mood perked up.

"Sorry Hau but I gotta head back to Heahea. Feel free to join me there when you finish. You sure you're not coming Lillie?"

"Actually Collin, I think I might stay and watch Hau. If that's okay." said Lillie, shyly.

"Of course. I'll see you all later! And good luck Hau!" said Collin walking away from the group. Something was off with Lillie and it didn't sit right with him at all. He made his way into Diglett Tunnel and walked back to Heahea City.

* * *

Upon reaching Heahea, he asked around for Hano Grand Resort. When he finally found it, Hau ran up beside him. 

"Hey Collin! I just finished my battle with Olivia! She was tough but I still won!" he said, showing his new Z-Crystal.

"That's great Hau! By the way, where's Lillie?"

"She said she wanted to stay with Professor Burnet for a bit. She didn't give me a reason though." said Hau. This started to make Collin think about what was going on.

"Something's not right Hau but I can't put my finger on it." he confessed.

"Ah don't let it get to you for now. Mind if I join you in the resort?"

"Sure." said Collin and the two walked in. As soon at they walked in, Collin spotted Faba standing right in the middle of the main hall.

"Ah welcome Collin and.......sorry what's your name?" he asked turning to Hau.

"Hau sir!" he said cheerfully.

"Ah yes, great to meet you. Now Collin, as a token of helping me and my assistant out earlier today, I would like to invite you for a tour of the Aether Paradise itself. You will come, won't you?" asked Faba.

"Sure. Might as well see what it's all about." said Collin.

"Can I come too?" asked Hau.

"Sure, I don't see why not." said Faba just as Olivia and Kukui entered the resort. "Ah, I see Kahuna Olivia has come to see you two off?"

"That's right. As Kahuna of Akala, I must see the Island Challengers off. Wouldn't be very Kahuna like for me if I didn't." she said.

"Indeed. Well boys, when you are ready meet me at the pier and we'll set off to the Aether Paradise." said Faba, walking out of the resort. Kukui stepped in front of the two and smiled.

"I have my own business to attend to, but I'll see you on Ula Ula Island when you finish your tour of Aether Paradise. I'm sure it will be an eye opener for you two! When you two finish, meet me at Malie Garden!" said Kukui as he exited the resort.

"I wish you luck on your Island Challenge boys!" said Olivia, following Kukui out the exit.

"Come on Collin, let's not keep Mr. Faba waiting!" said Hau.

"Sure, let's go." The two made their way to the pier and they boarded the boat that was taking them to Aether Paradise. However, Collin felt that something was defiantly off, and he was sure it wasn't paranoia.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm gonna take another day break from the fic. It was actually a struggle to finish because I was so tired. But anyways, reviews and comments of any nature are welcomed and as always, I'll see you in the next chapter. Cheerio!


	14. Paradise?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we are folks, Aether Paradise! The happiest place on earth......primarily because it has a lady who has a squid fetish........the Pokemon world is weird. Anyway, enjoy!

**Chapter 14-Paradise?**

After what felt like hours on the choppy waters of Alola, the small boat finally docked in Aether Paradise. The small group of three got out of the boat and already Collin could feel how cool it was compared to the heat of Alola. Hau was looking around with amazement across his face.

"Wow! This place is huge!" he cried. His excitment got the best of him and he tried to make a break for it, before Faba blocked his way.

"Calm down boy! The Aether Paradise isn't a playground!" he said sternly. This calmed Hau down right away.

"S-S-Sorry sir! It's just this place is so cool!"

"Indeed. I suppose I should get the introduction out of the way. Welcome to Aether Paradise. It has been outfitted with the latest technology to created a conservation for Pokemon. On the main floor is the reception and the Aether House, home of Lusamine Aether, president of the Aether Foundation. The top floor is Pokemon Conservation Area. And finally, the floor below us is Research and Development." The last part caught Collin's interest.

"What are you currently doing in R&D?" he asked.

"Well most of it is classified information, but I can confirm we are currently developing a brand new Pokeball. Though it might be years from now for it to be out in the public."

"Ah. Shame, I'd like to know more about it." said Collin.

"Maybe one day my boy." he said with a smirk on his face. "Shall we continue our tour?" asked Faba.

"Yes sir!" replied Hau and the three continued their way along the docks. When they got to what looked like an elevator, a rather busty woman wearing glasses appeared in front of them.

"Excuse me.....Mr Faba..." said the woman. This infuriated the man for some reason.

"YES EXCUSE YOU! WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT NOT USING MY TITLE! I HAVE IT FOR A REASON YOU KNOW!" he shouted. "HOW ELSE WOULD PEOPLE KNOW WHO I AM?!" Collin and Hau were shocked at the man's angry and weren't sure what to think of him now.

".......Yes.....Branch Manager Faba...." said the woman weakly. Faba calmed down to his normal self now.

"Now I must speak to the President about what has happened on Akala Island.....and your behavior towards your superior. Make yourself useful and show these two around. And have them meet the President too." he said, walking into the elevator and went down into R&D. The woman seemed to finally seemed to calm down.

"Phew...." said the woman. "Welcome to Aether Paradise Collin and Hau, my name is Wicke." she said with a smile.

"Nice to meet you-wait how do you know our names?" asked Collin, worried about them finding out his past.

"Oh, one of our members brought you up when you drove off Team Skull." Collin breathed a sigh of relief.

"And what about me?" asked Hau.

"Oh we know about the Grandson of one of the Kahuna's of Alola." she said with an even brighter smile.

"Wow! I didn't think people would know about me!" he said.

"Indeed. So would you two like to see the Conservation Area?" she asked.

"Yes please!" the two males said.

"Well then, let's zip right up!" said Wicke, guiding them to the elevator and pushed a button, allowing it to go up. Collin wasn't feeling to comfortable after what Faba said to Wicke. It didn't sit well with him at all.

"Sorry Miss Wicke, but does Faba say that to you all the time?" asked Collin as the elevator continued it's way up.

"Oh no. He's just embarrassed because there was people around. Don't worry about it." she said with a smile. But it was a smile that Collin knew was fake, however he decided not to pry for now as they continued their way up to the Conservation Area.

* * *

When the elevator stopped, Collin and Hau were greeted by flora and fauna of all sorts. The place really lived up to it's name as a paradise. Wicke coughed to catch the boys attention.

"Welcome to the Conservation Area. Here, we keep Pokemon that were targeted by Team Skull and other people who abuse Pokemon. Also it for those Pokemon who need a little extra protection to keep them alive and well in Alola." explained Wicke.

"Wow. That's amazing!" said Hau, looking at some Corsola.

"It's great to have a place like this. It's a wonder no other region has something like this." said Collin.

"Well we are hoping to expand our brand in the future so that every region can have a Conservation Area for all Pokemon in danger or abused. It's truly amazing." she said. There was a phone ringing and Wicke answered it and hanged up just as quick. "I've just been informed that President Lusamine is in the middle of the Conservation Area. If you follow the path here, you'll meet her no problem."

"Thanks Miss Wicke." said Collin and the two boys followed the path they were told. When they got to the middle, they saw a blond haired woman, looking at some Pokemon.

"My sweet babies. I will keep you safe." she whispered until she noticed the two boys behind here. "Ah! You two must be Hau and Collin. Welcome to Aether Paradise." she said.

"Thank you for having us Madam President." said Collin formally. Lusamine could only giggle.

"Oh no need to be so formal Collin. Just Lusamine will do."

"Aether Paradise is so cool Miss Lusamine. It feels so futuristic!" said Hau.

"Thank you Hau. I'm glad you're enjoying your visit here." she said calmly. "I can already tell that you two take good care of your Pokemon.....but I'm sure you are aware of those people who attack Pokemon and abuse them. I can't stand it."

"I agree. People like that deserve to be in jail. No good comes out of abusing Pokemon." said Collin, thinking back to his past.

"Indeed. That's why I'm like a mother to all these Pokemon. They are like my children." she said.

"Wow! All of this and so young too!" said Hau.

"Oh you sweet boy. I'm already forty years of age!" she said giggling at the shocked face of the young man. "I do have to say Collin, your style is pretty fashionable." Collin looked at his blank shorts and shirt confused.

"Oh um......I just threw these on me. I'm not really one for fashion." he said.

"That just means you're a natural! Hau, your style seems to be waiting. I'm sure we can find something amazing for you to wear."

"You mean it?!" said Hau, who was jumping up and down.

"Oh yes. Leave it to me. Children are much more happier when they listen to adults." she said. This comment felt off to Collin but his train of thought was cut off by a sudden rumble.

"W-W-What's that?!" cried Hau. A flash of light appeared in front of the small group and with looked like a wormhole appeared.

"An Ultra Wormhole." said Collin, amazed. A creature seemed to come out of the wormhole. It had no eyes and multiple tentacles coming out from it's head. Despite the lack of emotion, it looked like it was ready to attack. "Hau, protect the President! I'll deal with this git!" said Collin, getting his Pokemon ready.

"Oh? Did you come from another world? You poor creature." she whispered as Hau used his body to protect her. Collin stood his ground and prepared to attack.

* * *

"GO DARTRIX!" he shouted and the Pokemon came out. "Use Razor Leaf!" The leafs shot out and attacked the creature, but they seemed to bounce off. "What?!" he shouted. Without warning, the creature shot rocks, which looked like Ancient Power and one shot Dartrix. "DARTRIX RETURN!"

"Collin! I think it's too powerful! Your Pokemon could get hurt!" shouted Hau.

"GO SALANDIT!" he shouted, not listening to Hau and throwing out another Pokemon. Just like before, the Pokemon attacked and it did nothing, and was knocked out in one hit. "GO CRABRAWLER!" Like before, tried to hit but to no avail and was knocked out completely. "DAMN IT! GO PRINPLUP!" shouted Collin in a last attempt to attack. "USE BUBBLE BEAM!" Once again, no luck and the creature dodged Collin's attack. The creature used Ancient Power again and connected with Prinplup, knocking him out as well. "NO!" shouted Collin, returning Prinplup to his ball. With on final attack, the creature aimed for Collin.

"COLLIN!" shouted Hau. It looked like it was over for Collon, when suddenly the creature and it's attack disappeared. Collin was still stunned by the attacks the creature dealt to his Pokemon, until Lusamine spoke up.

"I need that Pokemon." she said.

"Miss Lusamine?" asked Hau. Lusamine then had a wicked smile across her face. A very uncomfortable, wicked smile.

"That was an Ultra Beast that came from the Ultra Wormhole, an unknown dimension to us. It looked like it was suffering." Her smile grew wider and it seemed only Collin noticed. "I can't bare to see it in pain. I will have it.......I will love it!"

"Uh.......Lusamine?" asked Collin. She snapped out of it and looked flustered

"Oh.....um.....thank you Collin. And thank you Hau. I don't know what could have happened if you two weren't here." she said. Collin wasn't convinced she meant that. "Wicke, I think we've taken up enough time for these two. They are on their Island Challenge, are they not?"

"O-OH! Yes Madam President. They are about to go to Ula Ula Island." confirmed Wicke.

"Very well. Let's do these boys a favor and send them have a boat send them to Ula Ula Island."

"Yes Madam President. Come along you two." she said as the group made their way back to the elevator.

"Man that was scary....and awesome! I can't wait to tell Professor Kukui and Lillie what happened!" said Hau. Collin noticed Lusamine stopped for a second and he looked at her face. Briefly, he saw the same wicked grin that she gave when talking about the Ultra Beast. When they got to the elevator, Lusamine stayed.

"I'll need to report what has happened here to Faba. And Wicke, once you get back to the lab, tell the staff that they are on their greatest duty yet. Protection of the Ultra Beasts!" she said.

"Yes Madam President."

"Good. As for you two," she said looking at Hau and Collin smiling. "I hope you enjoy the rest of your Island Challenge. Good luck!"

"Thank you Miss Lusamine!" said Hau as the elevator went down. Wicke turned to Collin for a second.

"Allow me to heal your Pokemon as a thanks for protecting the President. You really got yourself into a lot of danger there young man." she said while healing his Pokemon.

"I'm use to it. Still, I didn't think an Ultra Beast would be that powerful. I best be on my guard in case another one appears."

"Well let's hope another one doesn't come." she said as the elevator stopped at the docks. "Over here you two, this boat will bring you to Ula Ula Island." They walked over to said boat.

"Thanks for the tour Miss Wicke!" said Hau.

"It was my pleasure. Also, please regard what happened as an accident. We really don't want people to come here during such a busy time." she said.

"No problem Wicke." said Collin.

"Thank you. Enjoy the reest of your Island Challenge!" she said as the two got onto the boat and it set sail to Ula Ula Island.

* * *

While on the boat, Collin was looking out the window at Aether, lost in thought. Until Hau got him out of it by his chewing.

"Oh man I needed a Malasada after that. A tour of Aether and seeing an Ultra Beast? Man that was amazing!"

"Mmm." said Collin, not really paying attention. Hau looked at him with a face of confusion.

"What's wrong? Upset that your Pokemon got injured?" asked Hau.

"It's not that Hau.......well kinda but I had a check with them and they are health. So that's not a problem really." he said.

"Oh, well then what is it? You don't really look well."

"Something is off. Like, extremely off." said Collin. This confused Hau even more.

"What do you mean?"

"Have you seen Lusamine when she talked about the Ultra Beast? She had this creepy smile on her face."

"Well maybe that's what she's like when she sees something that interests her." responded Hau.

"I thought that at first too, but when you mentioned Lillie back there, she showed the same creepy grin." said Collin.

"Well I didn't see it."

"That's because you were jumping up and down. It's not just that. The way Faba acted around Wicke didn't sound like a one time thing."

"I guess you're right on that. But what does this have to do with Lillie?" asked Hau.

"I'm not sure just yet. I need to think about it more. But knowing that she has Nebby by her side, I think she's in serous danger right now." Hau could only scoff at Collin.

"You worry too much. Look I know you have done this in the past but I doubt it's that bad. You need to relax man." said Hau.

"I hope you're right Hau. Shit just doesn't feel right." he said, looking out the window again.

"Again, you worry too much. Just do your Island Challenge and get with Lillie." he said with a teasing voice, making Collin look at him. "Oh come on Collin. The two of you were all over each other in Diglett Tunnel."

"Shush Hau!" he said, blushing. This only made Hau laugh and he continued to eat his Malasada. While his comment distracted him for a second, Collin went back to thinking. Everything wasn't right and his brain went into overdrive. He felt a storm was coming, and it wasn't going to be pretty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it for that chapter. Hope you enjoyed it. These next few chapters are going to be my most difficult ones yet so I hope you don't mind if I sometimes take breaks from them if I need to. As always, reviews and comments of any nature are welcomed and as always, I'll see you in the next chapter. Cheerio!


	15. Reunited

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we good. Most of Ula Ula is gonna be a challenge but I'm up for it.......I hope. Anyway, enjoy!

**Chapter 15-Reunited**

When the boat docked in Malie City, Collin couldn't be more than happy to be off the boat. Hau was still his happy-go-lucky self as he got off.

"What's up cousin? Sea sick?" asked Hau.

"There's a reason why I don't like boats and I'll leave it at that." said Collin. "So, where is it that Kukui asked us to meet him?"

"He said Malie Garden. I looked at the map and it's close by. When you get your land legs, I'll see you there okay?" said Hau as he wandered off again. Collin took a breather for a while and began to think about Aether again. His mind was trying to join the dots, but for some reason nothing was connecting. He needed a few more clues before he could be sure about Aether. Once he was ready, he made his way from the docks and into Malie City itself. As he walked along, Rotom jumped out of his bag and made him jump.

"PROFESSORZZ!" he cried as he floated over to a man who, to Collin, looked exactly like Professor Oak from Kanto, only difference was that he was dark skinned. There was only one possibility.

"Oh Rotom! I didn't expect to see you so soon. And I suppose that mean you are Collin, am I right?" said the Professor.

"And you must be Samson Oak, am I right?" asked Collin.

"Ah you're quite correct my boy. My cousin has told a lot about you, from traveling to different regions and helping him fill up Pokedex's."

"Yep, been a few years but I've done it." said Collin. "By the way, did you create the Rotom Dex?"

"Yes I did. When Professor Kukui told me about adding Rotom to the Pokedex, I couldn't help but imagine the possibilities! So after a few months of tinkering and brainstorming, I managed to allow Rotom to fuse with a Pokedex to help trainers out!" he said with a smile on his face.

"Yep! And I'vez been helpingz Collin out a lotz. Haven't I?" said the Rotom.

"Yes...yes you have." responded Collin, still unsure of him since meeting him. "I assume not all trainers have one though."

"Sadly that's the way things are. Realistically, we can't have a ton of Rotom in everyone's Pokedex because we just don't know how many there are in the world." confirmed Samson.

"So why was I given one? I'm sure someone else could benefit from it." asked Collin.

"Ah yes, but you've experienced so many things Collin and this is a first crack at a longer use of it. So be proud in stepping into a evolution of technology." said Samson. "Also, I have to asked, have you come across any Alolan varieties of Kanto Pokemon?"

"Yeah I have actually. Can you send that info to your cousin in Kanto please? He begged me to do it when I first came to Melemele Island."

"Of course. Just let me download the data." he said sticking in what looked like a USB stick into the Dex.

"HEY! THATZ HURTZ!" shouted Rotom.

"Sorry buddy!...and done!" he said taking out the stick. "I'll send this off to cousin as soon as I can. Anyway I best be off. If you need to send more data, visit me at the library here in Malie."

"I'll do that. Thanks Samson!" said Collin as he continued to make his way into Malie City.

* * *

Just as he got to the entrance of Malie Garden, he looked at the sign off the Garden that read;

_Malie City. Based off the land from the far East. Garden is based off Ecruteak's Bell Tower Garden._

"Ah, no wonder why this place reminds me of Johto." said Collin to himself. Suddenly, his vision went dark as a pair of hands covered his eyes.

"Guess who!" said the person behind him. Collin stopped panicking and smiled. He slowly removed the hands from his face and turned around, only to be hugged by Lillie. "Collin!" she cried.

"Arceus Lillie! You act like I haven't seen you in years!" he said, but returned the hug anyway.

"I'm sorry but...it felt lonely without you." she whispered, slightly embarrassed about it as they got out of the hug.

"Well I'm here now. Professor Kukui is in the garden right?" asked Collin.

"Yeah. Said he was meditating or something. He should be finished now so you and Hau can see him." Collin nodded and they entered the garden. Collin felt like he was transported back to Johto as soon as he walked in. He already spotted Hau looking at a statue.

"Hey Hau, any sign of Kukui?" asked Collin.

"Honestly, I haven't been looking. Oh hey Lillie!" said Hau

"Hey Hau. You seem cheery...well more than usual."

"Yeah because me and Collin saw something amazing! But I wanna wait till we see Professor Kukui to tell the whole story." said Hau jumping up and down.

"Speaking of Kukui, I see him there." said Collin, pointing at a bench by some stalls. Kukui was sitting on the bench with his eyes closed, seemingly lost in thought. The three made their way towards him and he instantly woke up.

"Oh, hey there Collin, Hau, Lillie. I just finished my meditation. Need to do it if I want to take the force of powerful moves!" explained Kukui, making Collin wince at the idea of what he took in the past. "Anyway Hau, you seem to be glowing. Was Aether Paradise as amazing as you thought?"

"It was but that's not the big thing! We saw an Ultra Wormhole AND and Ultra Beast!" shouted Hau. Collin faced palmed but couldn't be mad at Hau. Lillie on the other hand looked worried.

"Oh wow! Now that is something to be exitced about. Did you get any evidence of it Collin?" asked Kukui.

"Not really. They asked us to keep everything hush hush." he said, narrowing his eyes at Hau. Hau only mouthed "sorry" and turned back to Kukui.

"Oh well. Maybe one day I can see one for myself. Anywho, you two ready to take on the next Trial?"

"Actually, I'm gonna take a break from the Trials?" said Hau.

"How come?" asked Collin.

"Well I feel like my team could use more training. Also I'd like to explore the Island first, then do the Trials. Does that makes sense?"

"Yeah I get you. I mean they did say you can take your time with the Trials. One thing I hated about Gyms was that you'd have to been there on time or no Gym battle for the day or even weeks. So count yourself lucky Alola isn't like that." said Collin.

"Yeah cousin, those Gyms are strict but they offer great challenge." said Kukui.

"You've been to other regions Professor?" asked Lillie.

"Only to Kanto back in my early twenties. Wanted to see what it was like. I was so close to becoming Champion but man, Lance does pack a mean punch with his Dragons."

"You mean three of the same Pokemon?" said Collin, smirking.

"Yep!" laughed Kukui. "Well it's all in the past now. Collin, I assume you are still on the Island Trial?" Collin nodded. "Great, your next Trial is on Mount Hokulani. You can take the bus on Route 10 to get up there. I'll meet you at the bus stop, I have something to show you when we get up there. I'll see you there!" said Kukui, waving and walking out of Malie Garden.

"I wonder what Professor Kukui wants to show you." said Hau. "Okay, I'm going to hang around here for a while. There seems to be a lot of trainers and Pokemon to battle. Watch out Collin, I'm catching up to you!" he said wandering off.

"Do you think he can beat you?" asked Lillie.

"I want him to. It will make him happy and I'll feel proud he managed to train so hard. But I don't want to go soft on him, doesn't feel like a proper victory. You get me?"

"Yeah I do. That's really nice of you Collin." she said, smiling. "Collin do you mind if we go to the Library? I wanted to go to the Ruins here but it's in a desert and I don't want you or me to go through there. I hope you don't mind." she said, hopeful.

"Of course I don't mind. Do you know where it is?"

"Actually...I don't. The city is big and I'm too shy to ask anyone." she confessed.

"Well then we'll just keep looking then. Ready?" Lillie nodded and they linked their arms and exited Malie Garden.

* * *

The two friends continued to walk around Malie City, taking in the sights and sounds of the city itself. Suddenly, a massive horse like Pokemon came running towards the two.

"YEEK!" shouted Lillie and Collin got in her way to protect her.

"SLOW DOWN BOY!" shouted a female voice and the Pokemon stopped instantly. The woman who shouted came beside the Pokemon and began to pat it's head. "You need to learn how to control your speed! People are gonna get hurt." she said. "I'm sorry my Mudsdale scared you miss...?"

"Lillie. It's no problem at all." said Lillie, calming down.

"Still, at least your boyfriend here was ready to protect you." she said. Lillie's face went full flush and so did Collin's.

"B-B-Boyfriend?! We are just friends!" shouting Collin.

"Oh...sorry. I assumed. Anyway, name's Hapu." she said.

"Collin. And sorry for the shouting."

"Ah it's no big deal. So what are you two up to?" she asked. Lillie finally calmed down from Hapu's comment and cleared her throat.

"Well we are looking for the Library. I want to do some research on somethings because I can't go to the ruins here on Ula Ula." said Lillie.

"Well only those who are brave enough to go through a sandstorm would dare go near those ruins. You're better off using the Library. It's the big building just north of where we are." said Hapu.

"Thank you so much!" said Lillie.

"Not a problem. And you Collin, you're on the Island Challenge right?"

"Yeah? What's up?" he asked.

"Well when you beat the Trial on the mountain, come meet me by Route 11. I might have something that can help you travel." she said. "Well I best be off. I'll leave you two lovebirds to your date." she said, riding on her Mudsdale with a smirk across her face.

"W-W-W-WHAT?!" shouted Lillie, flustered again. "Um...wanna go there now?"

"S-S-Sure." stuttered Collin. The two walked in and the were amazed by the amount of books there was. They reached to the top of the roof! Lillie already began to look around but she didn't seem to find what she is looking for.

"I guess we have to go upstairs." she said. The two walked up the stairs and were greeted by more books as fair as the eye could see. "The book I'm looking for is very old. Professor Burnet said that it should contain information about the Legendary Pokemon that are said to protect Alola. It also said that they are not from our world."

"Wow. You'd be surprised how many Pokemon that are said to protect our world aren't from our world. Makes me wonder why they bother." said Collin.

"I guess that's more to the mystery. I feel like the book might give me an answer to where Nebby comes from. It must be very valuable too, so I better not leave with it." she said. From the corner came a young looking girl who looked like she was wearing nothing but patches. In her hands was a book, a rather old looking book.

"Hey, is this the book you are looking for Princess?" asked the girl. The two looked at her, confused.

"Princess?" asked Lillie but her eyes looked at the book in her hands. "Oh! That's the one! Thank you." said Lillie as she took the book off her.

"No problem. My father used to own this book but it's great to know others are interested in it's contents." said the girl.

"Light of Alola...huh...this must have something I'm looking for." said Lillie and she practically buried her face into the book. Collin chuckled and turned to the girl beside him.

"Sorry, but do you mind telling me who you are?" asked Collin.

"Acreola if you please. I'm the Trial Captain of the Ghost Trial." she said. This sent chills down his spine.

"G-G-Ghost Trial?" he stuttered out.

"Yes. But you can't do that till you finish the Trial on Hokulani which judging by your Z-Ring, you haven't done yet." she said. "And who is this Princess?"

"That's Lillie, she's a friend of mine. Why do you call her Princess?"

"Well she does look like one. The dress, the hair, her looks. She looks just like a Princess. Wouldn't you agree?" she said. Collin looked at Lillie after what Acreola said honestly, he had to agree with her.

"Yeah...I guess you're right." he said turning around to see no one beside him. A sudden chill went down his spine, fearing whatever she had in store. "Lillie, why don't you stay here and read? I'll go do the Trial." suggested Collin.

"Oh! Um, just give me a few more minutes and I'll join you at the bus stop. You go on ahead if you like!" she said getting her head back into the book.

"As long as you're sure. I'll see you at the bus stop." Lillie waved at Collin and he exited the Library. Collin's thoughts were flip flopping all over the place. Between what happened in Aether and his on going theory and the feelings he had for Lillie, he felt like his mind was going to crack until one of these thoughts are sorted out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So how was that? I'm taking another day break because I'll be busy tomorrow. So no chapter. But still I hope you enjoyed that. Reviews and comments of any nature are welcomed and as always, I'll see you in the next chapter. Cheerio!


	16. Electrifying Revelation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was gonna be a problem for me, but I got some help from someone who's actually really helped me out with this story. I can't thank him enough. And with that, on with the chapter. Enjoy!

**Chapter 16-Electrifying Revelation**

As usual, Collin made his way along Route 10 battling trainers and Pokemon. As the days went on, it seemed that everything was loosing it's luster. The battles were getting easier now and things felt no different that being in Unova or Sinnoh. He needed a break but his own heart and mind knew he'd never relax until he finished the Island Challenge. Not to mention his on going theory that Aether isn't exactly innocent wasn't helping. His thought were interrupted by the sound of pounding techo. Or was it rap? Collin couldn't tell anymore as he saw Kukui standing by the bus stop and two Team Skull grunts beside him.

"You may have beaten us, but we ain't moving a muscle!" said the male grunt.

"Yeah! We'll take this bus stop if you don't beat it Prof!" said the female grunt.

"Arceus almighty will you just leave! You've been beaten fair and square so just go and let people see the time the bus is at!" said Kukui who was just about to loose it, something Collin didn't want to see so he butted into the group.

"Oi, the Professor said something. Now I suggest you two beat it before I do even worse!" warned Collin, showing the grin he knew scared the shit out of them, which of course it did.

"Y-Y-Y-Yes Bo-sir! We'll g-g-go now!" said the male grunt, running away.

"HEY DON'T LEAVE ME HANGING AGAIN!" shouted the female grunt, running after him. Collin couldn't help but chuckle. If there was one thing he could take out of all of this, is that the Team Skull grunts were absolutely useless. Signing, he turned to Kukui and noticed he was back to his cheery self.

"Thanks Collin. How do you deal with them so well?" he asked.

"Don't know to be honest." said Collin. "I just give empty threats and grin at them. That seems to do the job. Still, wouldn't want to worry about them, got other things on my mind."

"Like what?" Collin wasn't sure if he should tell him how he felt about the Trials and his theory about Aether, but he needed to know at least one thing. While Kukui checked the time for the next bus, Collin made his mind up. "So, what's on your mind?"

"Well one thing has been bothering me." he said. "Do you know Faba of the Aether Foundation?" Kukui's face went back to how he looked facing the Team Skull grunts and sighed.

"That creep? Bastard talks down to my wife every time he comes over to check her research. Caught him calling her a bitch the other day and I nearly threw him out the window. All because she didn't have his name right on some report." he said. It was like he was steaming, never heard him swear before too. His comment alone made him hate Faba more.

"I expected as much. His underling was given a thrashing just because she didn't say his full title when she met me and Hau. Next time I see him, I swear he better keep his mouth shut. Who knows how many people he's been after in there." said Collin, thinking about his theory again.

"Get in line." said Kukui under his breath. Sounds like Faba made a lot of enemies. However the two males were taken away by their hate of Faba as they noticed Lillie bounding down the road.

"HEY! I'M NOT LATE AM I?! I'M SO SORRY I GOT CAUGHT UP IN THE BOOK AND-"

"Lillie, it's fine. The bus is due in five minutes. You're just in time." said Kukui, interrupting her. Collin smiled as Lillie patted herself down due to the running she was doing.

"Phew. Thought I was late. But yeah about the book. It was an interesting read but still nothing about Nebby. I'm beginning to loose hope now." she said with sadness in her voice.

"Don't worry, I'm sure we'll find something." said Collin, reassuring her. This seemed to cheer her up as a small smile appeared on her face.

"I hope you're right." she said. All three were standing, chatting about other topics just as the bus for Hokulani arrived. They boarded the bus and it set up back up the mount.

* * *

When they got off the bus on top of Mount Hokulani, the first thing that met Collin and Lillie was how cold it was compared to how it was down the bottom. It was refreshing at first, but the cold really started to get to him.

"Kukui how the hell are you able to stand in this with no shirt?!" asked Collin.

"Years of training. Come over here you two, I have to show you something." They followed his orders and stood next to him by some railing. He was looking off into the distance, where an even higher mountain stood with what looked like a building on it.

"Professor, what's that building on the mountain?" asked Lillie.

"Glad you asked. That is Mount Lanakila, the tallest point in Alola. I felt like something was missing from it thought. After years of waiting, Mount Lanakila will be the home of Alola's Pokemon League! We are just getting the finishing touches done and it should be ready by next week." said Kukui.

"Wow! That's amazing Professor. It's great that Alola finally has a League. But how would challengers get into it?" asked Lillie.

"We've set it up so that if you have completed the Island Challenge, either recently or in the past, you have a shot of taking on the League." Collin stared at the mountain with a blank expression, he didn't know what to think. "So you up for it Collin?" asked Kukui. He didn't answer. Instead, he began to walk away from Lillie and Kukui, mumbling something.

"Collin, what's wrong?" asked Lillie walking up to him. He stopped in his tracks and sighed.

"I'm not feeling the Island Challenge anymore." he said. Kukui's face looked like he was shot in the heart.

"Why Collin? How did that happen? I mean you looked like you were enjoying it." said Kukui.

"I know but it's just.......I have so much to think about. I came her to relax and the next thing I know I'm flung into another journey. Everything is getting similar now." he said. "And I know what you're thinking. "Why don't you just stop? You don't have to continue." Trust me I know, but I'd feel so stupid to do that. Everything would keep nagging me and I wouldn't be able to relax at all. Now that I know there will be a League, that's not going to help." Collin was out of breath from his rant and sat on the railing to catch his breath. Kukui came to his side and so did Lillie.

"Sorry cousin." said Kukui. "I'm sorry we took you away from your relaxation. I mean you even said to me first day about Mary passing away and we threw this at you. Arceus I feel horrible now."

"No. It's not your fault. It's a me thing. I just want to get this over with and with Aether on the mind I feel so tired." he confessed.

"What happened at Aether?" asked Kukui. Lillie seemed to look worried about something. Collin picked that up and if his theory was correct, it wouldn't be good for Lillie. Sighing, he took the bullet and let it out.

"I think Aether is up to something. Lusamine more than anything. Remember when Hau said we encountered an Ultra Beast?"

"Yeah." said Kukui.

"Well, after it left, Lusamine was acting strange. She mumbled something about wanting to have it or something. She had this weird grin on her face. Later on, Hau mention you Lillie and the same weird grin was on her face." he said, looking at Lillie. She wasn't looking at Collin, she looked scared.....terrified even. "Look Lillie, I know you have something to do with Aether. I won't pry, but I need to get this off my mind." Lillie looked at Kukui, who at first seemed oblivious to what was going on, until he gave a nod to Lillie in a way she understood what it meant. She took a deep breath and laid it all out.

"My full name is Lillie Aether." she said. Collin's mind clicked instantly.

"I knew it. You're the daughter of Lusamine right?" Lillie nodded. A weight would have been lifted of his shoulders, until he realized that Lusamine knows he's with Lillie. "Lillie, tell me everything. Please."

"Yes. When I turned ten, I lost my father in an experiment with Ultra Wormholes. My mother was torn apart by it and tried to get him back. Her mind was twisted as time went on, to the point she made me wear these clothes every day." she said pointing at her white dress. Now that she mentioned it, they did look like the Ultra Beast he saw in Aether Paradise. "One day, she was testing on a Pokemon. That was Nebby.....Cosmog I mean. I took pity on him and I ran away from Aether three months back. When Professor Burnet found me, I explained everything to her and Kukui. They are the only people that know, aside from you. Please Collin, don't tell anyone. If mother finds out where I am, Nebby could die and I don't even want to think what would happen to me." she begged, almost on the verge of tears. Wasting no time, Collin wrapped his arms around Lillie and hugged her as tight as he could.

"There is no way in hell am I letting them get to you. I will not tell anyone. I swear on my mother's grave I will not tell anyone." he whispered. Lillie hugged him even tighter, letting the tears flow down. It felt nice, to finally tell the truth to someone she cared about. Still holding each other, they ended the hug and she gave him a warm smile. "You knew all along, huh Kukui?"

"Wasn't my place to tell. I kept her safe as long as I could. I hope you understand." he said.

"Of course I do. I still have one question. Is all of Aether corrupt?" Lillie understood what he meant and spoke.

"Not really. Wicke was the one who helped me escape with Nebby, along with few other grunts. Most of them are just following orders so I wouldn't call them corrupt. But there are a few that are corrupt and they work down in R&D." she said.

"Well that's refreshing. Still, we can't trust any Aether member......aside from Wicke. I'll keep you safe so stay with me alright?" he said.

"Of course." said Lillie, smiling. "Thank you so much. You don't have to do this you know?"

"I want to do it and nothing you say will stop me." he said, jokingly but he meant every word. The two enjoyed the small silent moment together, while Kukui went off into the building in front of them, giving them the space they needed.

* * *

After everything that was said and done, Collin and Lillie decided to make their way towards the building that Kukui entered. Just as they reached the door, Kukui came out along with another tall man with glasses.

"Enjoy the little break you two?" asked Kukui.

"Yeah. I needed to let that all out." said Collin.

"Good. Collin, I'd like you to meet an old friend of mine and of your mom, Molayne." said Kukui, introducing him to Collin.

"Nice to meet you Molayne." said Collin, shaking his hand.

"Pleasure. When Kukui told me about you, he looked fired up. Never seen him this fired up, unless it's in the ring. Isn't that right "Royal"?" said Molayne. Already, Collin liked him and Lillie couldn't help but giggle.

"That's PROFESSOR, Molayne." said Kukui, aggressively.

"Whatever you say, "Masked Royal"." he said, causing Kukui to basically blow steam out of his nose. It was entertaining to say the least. "Anyway, he also told me about her passing. I'm sorry. She was a great woman when she was here, first one to beat the Island Challenge out of the four of us." he said.

"Four?" asked Collin.

"We.......don't talk to him anymore." said Kukui. _Great, more mysteries. Can I catch a fucking break?_ thought Collin.

"Doesn't matter. I assume you are here for the Trail?" asked Molayne.

"Yeah, you the Captain?"

"Nope, that's my little cousin Sophocles. He's just getting the Trial ready, it's his first time doing it on his own." he said.

"Oh, he must be young." said Lillie.

"Yeah, he's fourteen now. But I'm sure he'll do fine. You can head into the Trial now if you want, but you'll have to wait outside." he said, looking at Lillie.

"That's okay. Good luck Collin, I'm rooting for you!" she said.

"Same from me Collin. Listen I'm going to head back to Malie City. Do you mind if you look after Lillie, Molyane?" asked Kukui.

"Not a problem. I'll see you later Prof!" said Molyane as Kukui got onto the bus and it drove down the mountain. Now, shall we enter the Observatory?" Collin nodded and entered. He was greeted by the sight of researchers and scientist fiddling at computers and other technology. He saw the totems that symbolize the start of the trial but they were made of steel, not wood. Collin found it amusing and entered the room. In the room was a short teen typing away at a computer. He stopped when he saw Collin his the reflection of the screen and turned to meet him.

"So.......you're my next challenger? Right?" he said. He seemed nervous but determined. "My name is Sophocles, welcome to the Electric Trial." 

"Thanks Sophocles. So what do I do?" asked Collin.

"Well, you know how a Totem Pokemon comes out after proving strength right? Well I decided to come up with a way so the Totem Pokemon comes to us. Using sound waves that only Pokemon can hear, we can cause the Totem Pokemon to come towards us. However....this is my first time using it so there might be a few problems. You are alright with that aren't you?" he asked.

"Sure, whatever makes the Trial go. No pressure alright?" said Collin, reassuring Sophocles.

"Okay......your Trial starts now." he said, turning to power on some machine. "Okay, when I press this button, the Totem Pokemon should come to us. Ready....and.....go!" he said and the machine sent out a sound that Collin couldn't hear, but knew was working.

"So now we wait?" asked Collin.

"Yep. The Totem Pokemon should be here any mo-" Suddenly, the power went out. "NO! DID I BLOW A FUSE?! DID I GIVE TO MUCH POWER?! OH NO I MESSED EVERYTHING UP!" he shouted in a panic.

"Calm down, calm down! Take deep breaths." Sophocles followed Collin's instructions carefully. "Okay, now is there a way you can bring the power back?"

"There is....but they need answers to three questions......hey......why not have that as apart of the Trial?! Oh yes! Okay you up for it?" asked Sophocles.

"Sure. What are the questions?" asked Collin. They spent the next few minutes working their way on the questions. Of course, they were easy enough for Collin and he passed with flying colours. With in seconds, the power was back on and everything was running again.

"YES! Okay, the signal is going out again. The Totem Pokemon should be here any second now." said Sophocles. They waited for the Totem Pokemon, as Collin hear the flapping of wings. They were getting closer and closer until suddenly, something flew in from the hole of the ceiling. "VIKAVOLT IS HERE! GET READY!" shouted Sophocles. Collin got his Pokemon ready, prepared for the fight ahead.

* * *

"Rotom, what Pokemon am I dealing with?" asked Collin. Rotom came out of his bag and got the information.

"Vikavolt. The Stag Beetle Pokemon. Bug Electric. It zips around, on sharp lookout for an opening. It concentrates electrical energy within its large jaws and uses it to zap its enemies. Thiz should be no problemz for you masterz!" said Rotom, going back into the bag.

"No problem at all. GO SALANDIT!" Out came Salandit and was ready to battle. "Let's make this quick! Use Flame Charge!" he shouted. The flames surrounded Salandit and it crash right into Vikavolt, causing major damage. The Totem Pokemon let out a cry and another Pokemon appeared beside it. "Rotom, check please." Rotom came out of the bag once again and began a scan.

"Charjabug. The Battery Pokemon. Bug Electric. Its body is capable of storing electricity. On camping trips, people are grateful to have one around. It seemz that it'z used to powerz up Vikavolt'z movez."

"Great. Let's get rid of it first. Salandit, use Flame Burst!" The flames shot out of the mouth of Salandit, missing Vikavolt, but managing to hit Charjabug. "Well that's one problem gone." Collin wasn't paying attention as Salandit was hit by an electric move. "DAMN! You okay Salandit?!" shouted Collin. Salandit gave a hiss, showing that she was okay. "Alright good girl. You ready?" Salandit nodded. "Alright. UNLEASH Z-MOVE!" shouted Collin, turning the Firium Z-Crystal. He preformed the dance and powered up Salandit. "NOW, USE INFERNO OVERDRIVE!" The battlefield was surrounded by a massive ball of flame hurtling towards the Totem Pokemon. It crashed into Vikavolt and by the time the smoke cleared, it was out cold. "YES! Well done Salandit!" shouted Collin.

"Hiss!" cried Salandit. A white glow surrounded Salandit and she grew in size with a slim figure. When the glow died down, Salandit evolved! "Hiss!" she cried but it sounded more seductive compared to what it was before hand.

"Alright! You are a Salazzle now!" shouted Collin, patting her head. She gave him a lick with her tongue. "Okay you need a rest. Return." said Collin and Salazzle returned to her ball. Sophocles came up to Collin, looking nervous.

"So......how was it?" he asked.

"I thought it was interesting. You really should consider the questions as an actual part of the Trial. It would really test the knowledge of trainers. But overall, it was good." said Collin.

"Phew.....I was so worried!" said Sophocles. "Anyway, here is you new Z-Crystal, Electrium Z." he said handing it over to Collin. Just before he preformed the dance, the door to the Trial opened. "BIG MO!" he shouted.

"SOFTY!" shouted Molayne. "How did you do?" he asked.

"The trainer said it was good. He even gave me suggestions to use in the future." said Sophocles. Molayne couldn't look even more happier.

"Thank you Collin, that's really boosted his confidence. Have you shown him the dance yet?" asked Molayne.

"I was about to. Here it goes!" shouted Sophocles and did the dance that Collin needed to do to activate the Z-Move. ".......how was that?" Collin have a cap to show he was impressed. "Thank you."

"Here, as an award for being nice to Softy, take this Steelium Z." said Molayne, handing out the Z-Crystal.

"You sure?" asked Collin.

"Sure I'm sure. Also here's the dance." Molayne preformed the dance and Collin locked it into his memory. "Also, that girl Lillie is waiting for you outside. You better get to her." he said.

"I will. Thanks for the Z-Crystal. And good luck Sophocles!" said Collin, exiting the building. When he got out, he was greeted with a hug from Lillie. "This gonna be a thing now?"

"Is that a problem?" she asked, smiling

"Not really, just checking." he said, smiling back. He held out his arm and show her his Z-Ring. "Got two Z-Crystals for the price of one. One more Trial on the Island right?"

"Yep. I think we should head to Malie City because the Professor dropped this." she said, holding out a mask. It was his Masked Royal mask. "I swear I don't know how people can't see it's him. We better return it to him."

"He's gonna flip when he finds out. Come on, let's not keep him waiting." They made their way to the bus and it drove down the mountain. Collin wasn't exactly over his feelings about the Trials. But now that he knows Aether isn't all sunshine, he knew he had to protect Lillie at all costs. He did swear on his mother's grave he would.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you don't mind that I go a different direction with Lillie's reveal. I think it would make the story flow better. Anyway, reviews and comments of any nature are welcomed and as always, I'll see you in the next chapter. Cheerio!


	17. It's Your Boy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy it's Guzma time lads and lassies! Oh boy I'm gonna have fun with this. I hope you look forward to what I have in store for this. Enjoy the chapter!

**Chapter 17-It's Your Boy!**

By the time the bus arrived at the foot of Mount Hokulani, it was nearly dark out. Collin paid the fare and him and Lillie walked along Route 10 together. Collin was extra careful now, keeping his eyes open now that he knew how much danger Lillie was in.

"I have to ask, you wanna tell Hau about...that?" he said vaguely but Lillie knew what he meant.

"Well...I'm not sure. It's not that I don't trust him, don't get me wrong. But I feel like if too many people know, the more dangerous it could be. I mean you are in as much danger as I am now when you think about it." she said. Her bag moved about and Nebby popped out.

"PEW!" he cried.

"Nebby! I let you out for as long as you wanted when Collin was in the Trial. I can't risk having you out here now!" she said.

"Pew..." he cried, sounding sad.

"Come on Nebby, get in the bag for mama." Nebby moved it's head back and forth, like it was saying no. "Will you get in the bag for dada?" he asked. Again, Nebby moved his head back and forth. Collin came up with an idea that would surely work. "Okay, how about if you get in the bag now, when we get to the hotel tonight you can say out of it all you want for the rest of the night. Sound fair, right mama?"

"Yes I think that sounds fair dada." she said, giggling at the pet names they had when Nebby was out. However it seemed to work as Nebby jumped back into the back without any fuss. "Phew, thanks Collin. I swear he listens to you more than me."

"Well when you have to work with baby Pokemon, you have to make compromises. Imagine trying to get a baby Pichu to eat food. Had to bribe him with treats just to get him to eat. Almost made him fat!" he said, chuckling. "But I got the weight off him before he became a Pikachu."

"Oh, well at least he's okay now." said Lillie.

"Yeah. Just don't make the same mistakes I did when you become a trainer." said Collin.

"You mean "if" I become a trainer." corrected Lillie, looking away.

"Nope, I meant what I said. You just need a push. You'll get soon enough."

"I hope you are right." Lillie let out a small yawn when she finished her sentence. "I'm so tired. I hear a bed calling my name and I need the sleep."

"I hear ya. We better head back to the City and get us some rooms." The two made their way into the city when they noticed a large crowd around Malie Garden.

"What's going on? Some sort of festival?" said someone.

"No, I think it's Team Skull." said another person. This caught Collin's attention and made a beeline towards the garden.

"Wait for me Collin!" shouted Lillie, chasing after him. When they got into the garden itself, there was another crowd that was surrounding what looked like two male grunts and Kukui.

"Aye yo Prof, we heard you have a Pokemon League ready to go." said one grunt.

"Yeah and we don't want some stupid Pokemon League here." said the other grunt.

"So why don't you take your stupid League back to Kanto and stay there!" Kukui looked calm and collected until he took out his hand.

"Four turns!" he shouted.

"WAH?!" said the two grunts.

"I'll take you down in four turns. No problem at all!" he said with a smile across his face. Collin noticed Hau looking on from the side.

"Lillie, go to Hau. I'll try to handle." he whispered. Lillie nodded and she went to Hau, who greeted her. Collin moved out from the crowd and coughed. "Or what you could do Professor is tell them to clear off, go away, bugger off, take your pick. Don't even think they are worth four turns." said Collin, showing the grin on his face.

"Dude who is that guy?" asked one person.

"I don't know, but he has got balls to say that to Team Skull." said another person.

"Hey! Who's talkin' shit about my grunts!" came a booming voice. Collin looked up towards the small bridge and noticed a man wearing a black jacket, a white t-shirt, half broken sunglasses and white hair. He walked forward towards Kukui, sporting a wicked grin, much like Collin's. "The hated boss who beats you down, and beats you down, and never lets up...yeah it's BIG BAD GUZMA!" he shouted.

"Oh Arceus sake." mumbled Kukui. "Still in the gangster phase I see, huh Guzma." said Kukui.

"Ah go fuck yourself Kukui. I know you're just as pissed as me for not becoming a Trial Captain." said Guzma.

"I CHOSE not to become one, if you remember." said Kukui.

"Yeah whatever you say. I'm sure it keeps you asleep at night. I've been meaning to give you a beat down for ages Kukui, and I'm gonna do that now!" said Guzma, getting his Pokeballs ready.

"Yeah you might want to rethink that fuck face." said Collin, butting in between Kukui and Guzma. "I think you should take youself and your grunts out of the garden if you know what's good for ya." Collin showed his now trade marked grin, but it did little to no affect to Guzma, who started laughing.

"HA! You're the little shit that my boys keep talking about?! Please, you're no different than any other trainer I've beaten." Guzma looked at Collin's wrist and grinned. "Heh, on the Island Challenge kid? Why do you even bother?"

"I don't know if I'm honest. Better than being a bum thinking he's cool wearing gold chains and half broken sunglasses. Seriously, cut the bullshit. You look like you're in your forties for Arceus sake."

"Oh kid you don't know what shit you've gotten yourself into. Kukui, I'll destroy that League of yours soon enough. But first, I'll destroy this idiot who thinks he can smack talk Guzma." he said, getting his Pokeballs ready again.

"Believe me, I've faced worse than a two bit gangster. You've made a big mistake." Collin got his Pokeballs out. It was like a Unovan Stand Off.

"Wanna see what destruction looks like?! HERE IT IS IN HUMAN FORM-IT'S YOUR BOY GUZMA!"

* * *

"GO PRINPLUP!"

"GO ARIADOS!" Both Pokemon came onto the field, prepared to battle. "Go for a Fell Stinger!" shouted Guzma. Ariados came crawling towards Prinplup fast and stuck his stinger into Prinplup.

"PRIN!" shouted Prinplup in pain.

"Come one Prinplup! You can walk it off can't ya?!" shouted Collin. Prinplup gave a slight nod. "Good. Go for a Peck!" Prinplup's Beak sharpened and attacked Ariados.

"Come on get up and use Infestation!" shouted Guzma. Small hairs shot out of Ariados and attached to Prinplup, hurting him.

"Prinplup, use Peck again!" The beck sharped again and managed to hit Ariados, knocking it out just as Prinplup feel from the Infestation.

"Return!" both trainers said.

"Heh, you ready to give up kid? No shame in it, aside from a beat down." said Guzma.

"I should ask you the same question, because I'm not giving up." replied Collin.

"Fine, you asked for it. GO GOLISOPOD!" Out came a massive looking Bug Pokemon that was intimidating beyond imagination.

"Fuck me he looks tough. Should I...no, not yet." said Collin, thinking about what Pokemon he could use. "GO DARTRIX!" Collin honestly had no idea what he was doing at this point so he took a shot in the dark. "USE-"

"FIRST IMPRESSION!" shouted Guzma over Collin. Without warning, Golisopod rushed towards Dartrix and punched it clean in the air, knocking out Dartrix completely.

"DAMN!" shouted Collin. "RETURN!" Dartrix returned to his ball and Collin was pissed. "You're really getting on my nerves!"

"Maybe next time you shouldn't mess with Big Bad Guzma!" He started to laugh out loud and Collin went back to thinking. _Ugh, Crabrawler won't stand a chance and Salazzle is still weak from the Totem Pokemon...fuck it, I'll have to risk it._

"GO SALAZZLE!" shouted Collin. Salazzle came out of the ball, looking tired. "I know you need rest, but you gotta pull through for me girl." Salazzle gave a weak nod. Guzma couldn't help but laugh even harder.

"Ha! You can't even look after your Pokemon! RAZOR SHELL!" shouted Guzma.

"DODGE!" Salazzle could barely move and Golisopod came fast. Then all of a sudden it stopped.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING BOY! USE RAZOR SHELL!" Golisopod didn't even move. In fact, it sounded like it was purring. Salazzle was hissing like she was giggling, which confused Collin. And then he remembered.

"AH! Salazzle's pheromones has made your Golisopod all gooey eyed. You're in the shit now!" said Collin. "USE FLAME CHARGE!" Golisopod was sent back far, but he was still standing. ""WHAT?!"

"Heh, Golisopod snap out of it and use Razor Shell!" Golisopod used it's armored claws to slice at Salazzle, knocking her out.

"FUCK! Salazzle return! I'm sorry!" said Collin, returning her back to the ball.

"You sure you don't want to give up kid?" chuckled Guzma. Collin only had one Pokemon left. He had to chance it.

"GO CRABRAWLER!" Out came the Crab Pokemon, punching the air showing she was ready to fight.

"Big mistake kid! RAZOR SHELL!" shouted Guzma.

"DODGE QUICKLY!" shouted Collin. Golisopod was speeding towards Crabrawler. Just before he made contact, Crabrawler dodged cleanly.

"WHAT?!" Guzma couldn't believe his eyes.

"YES! NOW UNLEASH Z-MOVE!" shouted Collin, turning the Fightinium Z. He preformed the dance Hala thought him all the way back on Melemele and powered up Crabrawler. "USE ALL OUT PUMMELING!" A fury of punches were thrown at Golisopod, sending it flying back towards Guzma. When the smoke cleared, Golisopod was knocked out. "YES! Well done Crabrawler! Return!" Crabrawler returned to her ball, victorious. Guzma returned his Pokemon without a word. Everything was quiet, until Guzma spoke.

"GUZMA WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU!? HOW COULD YOU LET THAT SHIT WIN!?" he shouted loudly so the whole town could hear him.

"Well I can think of a few things wrong with you." said Collin.

"Heh, Collin isn't it?" Collin slowly nodded from his question. "I'll remember that name, so I can take pride when I beat your ass to the ground next time I see you." Guzma walked off from the bridge and made his way to the exit, before Collin put his hand out.

"If I see your face again, it won't be pretty." he warned. Guzma smirked at Collin and left without a word, along with the two grunts who were forgotten about. The crowd that surrounded the garden cheered in delight.

"WOO LOOK AT COLLIN GO!"

"YEAH HE SHOWED HIM WHO'S BOSS!"

"Alright everyone calm down, let Collin have his space." said Kukui. The crowd slowly died down so it was only Collin, Kukui, Lillie and Hau in the garden. "Well done Collin. Didn't think you could pull it off."

"Yeah man! That Guzma guy looked tough, but you showed him!" said Hau.

"Trust me, it was a close one. I thought I was done for when he used that last First Impression on me. Man is that Pokemon tough." comment Collin. He started to think about when Guzma was talking to Kukui and thing clicked together. "I'm guessing he was the fourth friend huh?"

"You guessed right." sighed Kukui. "He wasn't always like this. Sure he was brash but he was a good guy. Then something happened and the next thing I knew, he didn't talk to me anymore. Years later he became the boss of Team Skull. I still don't know what happened to him." said Kukui.

"Must have been something bad for him to go that far." said Hau, yawning. "Man I'm beat. All that training today did wonders. I'm gonna head to the hotel. See you guys tomorrow!" Hau left the garden, walking instead of running, which was a weird sight to see.

"I guess I better head over to the League to make sure everything has gone smoothly. You two should hit the sack too. I'll see you soon Collin." Kukui left the garden, leaving only Lillie and Collin together. Lillie was extremely quiet ever since the start of the battle.

"Hey, you okay?" asked Collin. She lunged to him and hugged him like her life depended on it.

"I was so worried about you! Everything felt like it was going so wrong. I couldn't watch!" she said.

"Hey, it's okay now. It's over and I'm fine. I'll heal the team up and we can go to the hotel, I need some damn sleep after that."

"Okay." said Lillie. The two left the garden and headed for the Pokemon Center to heal his Pokemon.

* * *

After healing his Pokemon, the two made their way towards the hotel. It wasn't a big one and it looked rather old, but the reviews were good so they took it without question. When they entered the main lobby, they were greeted by the front desk.

"Hi, we'd like a room with two beds please." said Collin. The woman at the desk typed away at her computer and turned back to the two.

"Unfortunately there isn't any rooms available with two beds. There is a room with a king size bed. Would you like to take that instead?" asked the woman. Collin wasn't sure what to do.

"We'll take it." said Lillie.

"Wait what?"

"Currently Miss." said the woman, interrupting Collin. She took the keys from the back and handed it to Lillie. "Enjoy your stay you two." said the woman.

"T-Thank you." said Collin and the two made their way up to the room. "Why did you take the room?" asked Collin.

"Well I really don't want to be on my own right now. Plus it's better than camping right?"

"True. Okay let's see what the room is like." The entered the room and it was a normal sized room with a bed in one corner, a small couch in the middle and across from it a TV. The room contained other essentials like a bathroom. "Well it will do us for the night. I'll take the couch and you take the bed."

"No, you're not having the couch tonight." said Lillie.

"Lillie, it's fine. You need the bed more than I do."

"What are you talking about? You were in two big battles today, not me. You need the bed. Why don't you just share it with me?" she asked.

"Well...I didn't really want to asked you know. I didn't want to come across as weird." said Collin.

"Oh please, it's not weird." she said. Her bag began to shake again. "Oh right, come out Nebby." she said, opening the bad. Nebby popped out and floated about.

"PEW!" he cried in delight.

"See, I promised you, didn't I?" said Collin.

"PEW PEW" cried Nebby, floating up to Collin and rubbed his face against his.

"Okay okay Nebby!" he said patting his head. Lillie couldn't up but chuckle, which was replaced with a yawn almost immediately.

"I think we should get some sleep now. We'll play in the morning, okay Nebby?"

"Pew..." cried Nebby, sounding said but seemed to understand. Lillie walked into the bathroom to get changed while Collin got changed in the main room. She came out with a completely pink loose fitting pajama set. Collin on the other hand wore an old t-shirt and old shorts.

"So...ready to sleep?" asked Collin, feeling awkward.

"Yep. I could sleep through an Earthquake." she said, yawning. The two got into the bed and despite being big, they got close to each other.

"Sorry!" said Collin, fumbling around.

"It's okay." said Lillie, smiling. Nebby decided to get involved and floated right in between the two. "Oh you wanna sleep with us?"

"Pew..." he said, yawning and closing his eyes right away.

"He really is a child." commented Collin, yawning. "Well, goodnight Lillie."

"Night Collin." The two eighteen year olds fell asleep right away. Collin was content with sleeping next to her now, for he fully knew that she was safe and right beside him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope the fluff at the end was tasteful. Also what did you think of Guzma? I hope I got him right. Anyway, reviews and comments of any nature are welcomed and as always, I'll see you in the next chapter. Cheerio!


	18. Rocky Trail to Trial

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What was once one chapter has been split into two. My mind is like it's in a vice, having ideas ready to go and then I remember I still have stuff to write before I get to them. Oh well, enjoy the chapter!

**Chapter 18-Rocky Trail to Trial**

When Collin woke up that morning, the last thing he expected was a girl snuggling up right next to him. He was about to freak out, but he remembered last night and he calmed down. Lillie looked so peaceful in her sleep and being cuddled up with him and Nebby made it extremely cute. One sudden movement could wake the both of them up no problem, which was perfect timing for Collin to sneeze.

"ACHOO!" he sneezed. The movement from him sneezing caused both Lillie and Nebby to wake up, groggy. "Shit...sorry I didn't mean to wake you up." sniffed Collin.

"It's fine." yawned Lillie. "I was ready to get up anyway." Lillie moved up in the bed and stretched while Nebby floated to her lap. "Did you sleep well Nebby?"

"Pew..." he cried, giving out a small yawn. Lillie couldn't help but giggle at the little cloud.

"I'll take that as a yes. So Collin, wanna get some breakfast?" asked Lillie.

"Sure. Let's get dressed and we'll have something to eat in town." After they got washed and dressed, Collin noticed that Lillie was still wearing the clothes that she said her mother made her wear. However, he had the feeling why she wore them and decided not to question it. They found a place that did breakfast and decided to eat there. While they ate, they talked about random topics, likes, dislikes and other topics.

"So you mean to tell me, you were chosen by Lisia, star of Hoenn's Contests, to be an underling?!" cried Lillie.

"Yeah. Wasn't really a big thing for me. When I came back to Hoenn for a visit, she spotted me outside one of the contest halls and basically just said "You're my underling now!". I mean I enjoyed it and she was nice. Can't say much about her boyfriend."

"She has a boyfriend?" asked Lillie.

"Well used to. Dumped him after she found out he was cheating in one of the contests. Chaz was his name and he was a git." said Collin.

"Glad she dumped him."

"Same. So, anything interesting about you?" asked Collin.

"Well...there isn't much to say. Actually there was one time when my mom evolved a Clefairy into a Clefable without my permission." she said.

"Was this before or after she went mad?"

"Before. It was an accident on her end. But I was still mad at her. But other than that, nothing really interesting has happened in my life." Lillie seemed worried about something. "Sorry that my life isn't as interesting as yours."

"Hey now. Who said this was a contest to have the most interesting life? Honestly I'd rather have a life of normality than go through the shit I dealt with over the years." said Collin.

"Surely you don't mean that?" questioned Lillie.

"Of course I do. When I set foot out the door on my first day as a trainer in Kanto, the last thing I expected to do was take on my own damn father in a battle so he didn't control the whole region. No kid is prepared for that." Collin sighed heavily over what he said, looking at Lillie who was feeling guilty.

"I guess my plea counts as something you didn't want to do." she said.

"Arceus no. Unlike the things I've done in the past, I chose to help you. I didn't have to, but I did because I know you need the help and I hate letting my friends down. No one should have to do this on their own."

"If you say so." A ringing noise came from her bag. "That's my phone, give me a sec." She got her phone out and picked up. "Hello Professor...you want me to see you?...now?...okay where?...alright I'll see you then Professor." she said hanging up.

"What's up?" asked Collin.

"Professor wants me to meet him at the Pokemon Center. He thinks he might know what Nebby could be."

"Oh, would you like me to tag along?"

"I think you should get a head start on Route 11. You don't want to waste more time than you need." she said.

"Are you sure? It's no problem for me to stay."

"I am sure. Look, the Professor will be with me and I'll make my way along the Route and meet you. I should be safe." she said. Collin had to admit, he might be a bit too protective around her and gave up trying to convince her.

"Alright, it's your choice. You have my number anyway if things go south right?"

"Yep. Don't worry Collin. If I'm going to ever become a trainer, I need to be strong by myself." said Lillie, brimming with confidence, which Collin liked to see.

"That's the way to do it! Okay, I'll see you later then." he said, getting up from the table and paying the bill. "I hope you find out what Nebby is."

"Same. I'll see you later Collin! I'll catch up to you no problem!" she said. Collin nodded and left the restaurant, confident that Lillie was okay. He made sure his team was healed up and headed towards Route 11.

* * *

Making his way along Route 11, he battled more trainers and Pokemon. This time however, he was determined to get his Pokemon and strong as possible considering that Guzma has him on his sights and could come after him at any moment. So he had to prepared. Exiting Route 11 and onto Route 12, he noticed that the path ahead was extremely rocky. There was no way in hell he was gonna get through the route unless he liked to have his feet broken or stabbed. He then heard a low rumble coming from behind him, so he turned around to see a Mudsdale charging forward. He was ready to jump out of the way in fear of being hit.

"WOAH BOY! CALM YOURSELF!" said a female voice. The Mudsdale stopped just shy of Collin's body and let out a cry. The woman dropped off the Mudsdale and smiled. "Hey, Collin right?" she asked.

"You're Hapu...right?" said Collin.

"That's my name. I heard what happened last night in Malie Garden. Well done on that. I didn't think anyone had the balls to stand up to the Boss of Team Skull." she said.

"Meh, could have been worse. I mean sure he almost wiped out my team but I've faced harder trainers than him." said Collin, acting all smug.

"Heh, you must get around then."

"I guess you could say that. So, were are you off to?" he asked.

"Well I was going to head home to Poni Island, but I remembered that you might be in a pickle. So I came here to give you the the Mudsdale card for your Pager. Mudsdale's hoofs are so strong they can get through this rocky path no problem." she said, handing over the card.

"Thanks Hapu. I was wondering how I'd get across." Collin used the card and within seconds, a Mudsdale was right beside him. He mounted the Pokemon and was ready to go. "Woah I didn't think he'd be this big."

"Need help riding it?" asked Hapu.

"Nah, I used a Rapidash back in Kanto, so I think I'll be alright with this. Thanks anyway."

"No problem. Right I better get going. Oh wait, before I go, I forgot to tell you that you'd want to make your way to the Aether House just outside the Tapu Village. Just follow the Routes along this path and you'll get there in no time." she explained.

"Why do I need to go to the Aether House?" asked Collin.

"Well it's were Acerola stays. She'll lead you to the next Trial when you get there. I better get going before the boat to Poni Island leaves without me. Good luck with the Trial!" she said, getting onto the Mudsdale and the two trotted off back to Malie City. Collin continued forward while on Mudsdale, traveling through the rocky road ahead. Along the way, he battled more trainers and Pokemon and passed a Power Plant since he really had no business to be there. As he made his way along the routes, he came across a small motel, feeling that the rocky road has stopped and let the Mudsdale go until next time. As he was getting off, there were footsteps coming in from behind him.

"COLLIN!" shouted a male voice. It was Hau, looking bright as ever. "I thought I'd never catch up with you!"

"Well you did. I thought I would have seen you this morning. Where were you?" asked Collin.

"I was up on Hokulani doing the Electric Trial. Sophocles actually used the questions that he said you suggested he should use in the Trial. They were tough and so what the Totem Pokemon, but I managed to do it!" he said, holding up his Z-Ring showing the Electrium Z. "By the way, where's Lillie?"

"She's with Kukui. She'll make her way down somehow, I hope so at least. If not I'll just go back for here. You heading for the next Trial?"

"Yep! It's the last Trial on Ula Ula so it's gonna be tough. But I'm sure we can do it!" said Hau. A door opened from the motel and someone stepped out.

"Do you have a volume? Some people are still trying to sleep." said the person.

"Gladion?!" shouted Hau.

"Would you shut up for five minutes?" said Gladion dryly.

"What do you want Gladion?" asked Collin, not in the mood to deal with him.

"Tch, you know of Cosmog right?" he asked.

"Yeah? What of it?" said Hau, acting in defense.

"Team Skull is looking for it. I don't know how they found out about it and I don't know why, but they can't get their hands on it. That Pokemon may be weak, but it has the power to summon and even more dangerous Pokemon to Alola. I could spell disaster. I ask you to keep an eye out for it." he said, walking back into the motel.

"HEY! HOW DO YOU KNOW ABOUT COSMOG YOURSELF?!" shouted Collin, following him up the stairs to his room.

"It doesn't concern you, now get out." said Gladion.

"It kinda does if you know I know about it you idiot."

"I said it doesn't concern you. Just protect it!" shouted Gladion and he entered the bathroom of his room, locking the door.

"Seriously? That's how it's gonna happen? Won't tell me a damn thing because your still in you preteen edgy phase ya prick?!" Collin looked at Hau and all he could do was shrug. Collin was getting annoyed and started to bang on the bathroom door. "WILMA!" he shouted, as if he was in the old show he watched as a kid. No response. "Fuck off then!" he shouted.

"I'm trying to make a phone call!" shouted Gladion back to Collin.

"YEAH MAKE A PHONE CALL! PHONE A FUCKING FRIEND!" shouted Collin. "Come on Hau, the prick won't even explain." The two left the motel room and Collin was still in a bad mood.

"What was that all about?" asked Hau.

"I hate people like that. You wouldn't believe the amount of times I've come across people that asked me to do something and they don't explain how they know or why they want me to do it. I mean I know this time, but how the hell does he know about Cosmog? You get what I'm saying?" asked Collin.

"I guess. Look just don't worry about it. Let's head to the Aether House, I bumped into Hapu and she told me that's where you'd be heading."

"That's the plan. Let's get going, I wanna be further away from that prick before the day is out." The two made their way to the Tapu Village, healed up their Pokemon and noticed some construction going on.

"Oh! This must be where the entrance to the Pokemon League is. You gonna compete in it Collin?" asked Hau.

"Might as well. It would feel like an empty journey if I didn't." he replied, not letting on that he had a mini breakdown yesterday over it.

"Same. The Aether House should be around here." The two walked passed the Tapu Village and saw a massive looking building completely white. "Take a guess which house this is." said Hau, smirking.

"Gee, I wonder if it's the Aether House." The two started laughing and they entered the house.

* * *

When the two entered the house, they were greeted by nice cool air. Collin wished he could live here, as he was getting sick of being hot from the Alolan sun. Even Hau looked like he was in peace with the cool air. At the reception was a Pokemon Collin never seen but it wasn't doing anything so he paid no mind to it.

"Man, I've lived here all my life and still can't get used to the sun." said Hau. "By the way, where's Acerola? Isn't she supposed to be here?" A door opened near the reception and two little kids, no more than eight years of age, came out.

"Trainers! Trainers!" said the boy.

"Can we battle you sirs? Please? I want to see how strong my Pokemon are." asked the girl. Collin smiled at the kids for wanting to have a battle with him and Hau.

"Why not? We have time to kill don't we Hau?" asked Collin.

"Sure. It will be great experiences for them." said Hau. "I'll take you on." said Hau, pointing to the girl. Collin walked over to the boy.

"Alright lad, what's you name?"

"Hunter sir. I hope you don't hold back." said the boy.

"Same for you. Ready kid?"

"As ready as I can be! GO ELEKID!" shouted Hunter, throwing the ball out to the field and out came Elekid. Wanting to make things fair, Collin selected his Pokemon.

"Go Prinplup!" Prinplup came out ready to fight, but seeing the kid and his Pokemon, he knew not to go too hard. "Best of luck kid!" said Collin.

"Okay! Use Thundershock Elekid!" Electricity came flowing out of Elekid's antenna and hit Prinplup. Prinplup didn't really get hurt all that much, but played it up for the kid.

"Prinplup, use Metal Claw!" shouted Collin. Prinplup's wings sharpened and sliced at Elekid, but not to hard. Elekid was still sent back a bit from the damage.

"Elekid, use another Thundershock!" The electricity hit Prinplup again but still did little damage.

"Use Metal Claw again!" The attack connected and it knocked out Hunter's Elekid. Collin was expecting him to be sad, but he looked more happy than ever.

"Wow! I never thought I'd get to battle a real trainer so early! Thank you sir!" said Hunter, returning his Pokemon to it's ball.

"It' just Collin, no sir please. Well done though, it was a good battle. Keep training and you'll be strong before you know it." said Collin, returning Prinplup to his ball just as Hau finished his match with the girl.

"Thank you Mr Hau." she said/

"No problem, but can the Yungoos stop biting my leg please?" said Hau, trying to move his leg away from the Yungoos.

"Yungoos! Be nice around the guests!" said the girl and they Yungoos wandered off. The front door opened and Acerola entered the house.

"I'm home! How's everyone been?" asked Acerola.

"Great! Mr Hau and Mr Collin battled with us Acerola." said Hunter.

"Did you now? I hope you enjoyed it." she said smiling. She walked up to the two older boys. "I hope you didn't go too hard on them." she whispered.

"Nah, we gave them a good battle but when went soft on them. They'll make good trainers one day." said Hau.

"No doubt about that. By the way, have you seen Lillie?" asked Collin.

"Oh yeah I met her along the way, I helped her get passed the rocky path. She just went into the Village to get more repels and she should be here any moment." she said. "So, you here for the Trial you two?"

"Yep. Where is it?" asked Collin.

"I'll tell you in a few minutes. I'll need to collect a few things in my room. You two can head outside if you want." she said as she entered one of the rooms in the house.

"You ready to go?" asked Collin.

"Actually I'm gonna stay here until you finish the Trial. I can help teach the kids something about Pokemon battling while I'm here you know?"

"Fine by me. I'll see you after the Trial. Have fun kids!" said Collin about to leave.

"Bye Mr Collin!" said the two kids and Collin exited the house. No sooner did he exit did he see Lillie and she looked terrified.

"GO AWAY! PLEASE LEAVE ME ALONE!" she shouted at the person in front of her. She didn't even notice Collin.

"Like hell I will girl. I know you got a rare Pokemon in that bag of yours and I'm about to snatch it off you, or else you'll know what pain feels like" said a Team Skull grunt, grabbing her wrist and pulling at her.

"OI! GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM HER!" shouted Collin rushing down the stairs and pushing the grunt off Lillie.

"Y-Y-YOU!?" said the grunt, knowing who Collin is.

"YES ME! AND IF I EVER SEE YOU LAY YOUR HANDS ON HER LIKE THAT AGAIN, I'LL SHOVE A PARKING METER UP YOUR ASS SO YOU CAN TELL THE PRICE OF YOUR NEXT SHIT!" That seemed to do the trick and the grunt ran off in the other direction. "Arceus alive. You alright Lillie?"

"Y-Y-Yeah. Wow, I never thought I'd hear something like that come out of your mouth." she said.

"Well when someone tries to hurt a person I care about, I get extremely defensive." explained Collin.

"Thank you though. I thought he was gonna get Nebby." The doors of the Aether House opened and Acerola walked out.

"Oh Lillie. There you are. You look tired, wanna rest in the Aether House while Collin is doing the Trial." she said.

"Thank you. I'll do just that." said Lillie. Acerola nodded and walked off.

"By the way Collin, the Trial is just south of the Tapu Village! I'll meet you there." Acerola walked passed the bend and headed to the Trial. Collin was about to leave, before Lillie grabbed a hold of him, and kissed him on the cheek. It was a brief kiss, but it still made Collin blush like crazy.

"W-W-What was that f-for?" he asked, stuttering over his words.

"For protecting me. And for good luck." she said, giggling and walking into the Aether House. Collin slowly made his way down the path, blushing still.

"This girl will be the death of me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo, added a little cheeky kiss at the end there. Why? Because why not? Anyway, reviews and comments of any nature are welcomed and as always, I'll see you in the next chapter. Cheerio!


	19. Trial of Fear

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today, we see Collin's biggest fear, Ghost Pokemon. Can he cope with the pressure? Or will he chicken out? Find out in today's chapter! Enjoy!

**Chapter 19-Trial of Fear**

Like Acerola told him, he followed the path south of Tapu Village and came across what looked like an abandoned super market. Already Collin knew he wasn't going to enjoy this, not one bit. But with the recent memory of Lillie's little kiss, he decided to try his best and make her proud. With his team at the ready, he made his way up the broken road and came across Acerola herself.

"Great for you to finally turn up." she said, sounding a little impatient.

"Sorry about that, I had things on the mind." he said. He looked at the super market which up close looked more dank and broken compared to far away. "So...this is where the Trial is right?" asked Collin.

"Yep. This used to be a big super market, but Tapu Bulu, our Island Guardian, got angry at the old Kahuna for abusing his powers as a Kahuna and in revenge, destroyed the super market. There were a lot of deaths involved so I guess he was feeling very stupid after that. The Kahuna just up and left after that." she said.

"Wow, sounds like a prick."

"He was from what people tell me. Anyway enough about the past, you're here for the Trial."

"Regrettably so." said Collin, shuddering and shaking.

"Ah don't be worrying. All you got to do is take three photo's of Pokemon and the Totem Pokemon should appear. Normally I'd hand out a camera, but I've been told you have a Pokedex that can do just that. So there is not need for me to hand you the camera. You ready?" she asked. Collin was still shaking and he was starting to sweat. His nerves were getting to him. "Are you okay?"

"Not one bit. I'm sorry but I hate Ghost Pokemon. Ran into some in an old mansion way back in Sinnoh. I haven't been the same since." he explained.

"That's a shame. They must have been very restless. Normally Ghost Pokemon only play harmless tricks. It's very rare they'd try to harm someone unless they are restless."

"I found out that there was a murder in that mansion. Don't know how, don't know why, and I don't want to know period. I wanted to get out of there as fast as I could and never think about it again. Hasn't worked out well for me, as I still get nightmares to this day."

"Well take it from me when I say that the Ghost Pokemon in here are as harmless as ever. Sure they might battle you, but that is as far as they will go." she said. Collin didn't look convinced and still looked worried. "Look, if you can't do it you can come back any time. There is no shame in it." With one long breath, Collin made his choice.

"I'll do it. It will be like getting a needle. It will be hard but it will be over before I know it." he said.

"That's the spirit. You can get out whenever you feel like it and come back. Alright let me unlock the door." she said getting some keys out of her pocket and opened the door. "Right, your Trial starts...NOW!" she shouted. Collin took another deep breath and slowly but surely, made his way in the dank, old, haunted super market.

* * *

The air was cold, not the pleasant cold compared to the Aether House. There was an odd smell in the air and there was the sound of music that sounded like it was playing through broken headphones. It sounded like it was being played directly into his ears and it didn't help his situation. He started to make his way pass the check-out point when he saw something moving.

"Rotom, fire up the camera." said Collin. Rotom appeared from the bag and slowly loaded the camera. At first there was nothing out of the ordinary, then there was more movement. "Come out. I'm not scared of you!" he shouted. He turned around and was face to face with a Gastly. "AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" he screamed and fell onto the ground.

"kekekek" laughed the Gastly and it disappeared from sight. Collin slowly got up and looked around. He swore he seen something move in the corner of his eye. Just then, he heard a voice no higher than a whisper.

_You shouldn't have come here_

"Who said that?! Show yourself!" There was no answer. Collin continued his way through the super market, no more scared than ever. "I-I-If you think y-y-you can scare m-m-me, y-you got another thing c-c-coming!" He saw more movement, this time a trolley. "R-Rotom." Rotom got in front of him and the camera was on. Before he could get a proper look, a Haunter appeared on his screen. "AHHHHHHHHHH!"

"Kekekekee!" chuckled the Haunter and disappeared from sight. He then heard the voice again, this time it sounded louder. Sounded like a woman.

_I don't want you to see me like this_

"W-W-What are you talking about?!" stuttered Collin. He looked around and saw a figure move deeper into the super market. He didn't get a close look so he couldn't tell who or what it was. Against his own judgement, Collin decided to follow the figure. Slowly, he made his way to the back of the super market and saw stuffed toys starting to float. Before he even got the chance to open the Pokedex, a Gengar jumped out at him.

"KEK!" screamed the Gengar.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Collin was on the floor again, curled up into a ball. He didn't see the Gengar float away from him, he was too busy being scared. So scared in fact, he was crying. "I-I-I-I can't do this. M-Mom!" he cried.

_Over here_

Collin looked up and saw the figure again. It was completely white, but he could see a face. "M-Mom?" called Collin. The figure went into what looked like a back room, before beckoning Collin to follow her. Completely entranced, he followed her to the back room. When he entered, there were a number of pictures of one Pokemon. Pikachu was everywhere. Be it lunch boxes, cards, posters, you name it. Even a poster from the old show about a kid and his Pikachu traveling the regions. But there was still no sign of his mother. "Mom? Mom where are you?!" he called out.

_I can see you honey. I'm close by_

"But I can't see you! I miss you so much!" he cried. He couldn't stand it any longer and cried again. "I want to see you one more time!"

_You can honey. Just turn around and you can see me_

Collin turned around to face the door. But there was nothing. "R-R-Rotom. Camera please!" he said. Collin put up the camera but he still couldn't see anything. "Mom, where are you. I can't see you."

_Don't worry you can see me. See me. See me. See me._

"SEE ME!" shouted a large Pokemon, jumping out in front of Collin.

* * *

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! R-R-R-ROTOM! WHAT IS THAT THING?!" Rotom came right out in front of Collin and scanned it.

"Mimikyu. The Disguise Pokemon. Ghost Fairy. Its actual appearance is unknown. A scholar who saw what was under its rag was overwhelmed by terror and died from the shock. Seemz you've comez across the Totemz Pokemomz Masterz. Remain calmz and takez it outz!"

"Okay okay okay. Fairy Type. Salazzle will help. GO SALAZZLE!" shouted Collin. Out came Salazzle and it hissed. "Use Venoshock!" Poison shot right at the the Totem Pokemon and connected. But it seemed to do no damage. All it seemed to do was make it's head fall back. "Rotom, what the hell is going on?!"

"Mimikyu's have an ability to dizguise themselvez with oldz clotz and ragz and usez them to become their wishz, Pikachu. They want to be az famouz as Pikachu. But their dizguise also workz as a defense for attackz for one it before it breakz. It should be okay to hit nowz." explained Rotom. But before Collin could call for an attack, Mimikyu attacked with a Shadow Sneak and hit Salazzle, knocking her out completely.

"SALAZZLE NO!" he called before returning to her ball. "Fine. GO DARTRIX!" shouted Collin. Out came the bird Pokemon and was ready to fight. "Use Pluck!" Dartrix charged forward and pecked right into the body of the Mimikyu. However, Dartrix was stuck in the fabric and couldn't get out. "Come on Dartrix!" shouted Collin. Mimikyu took this change to allow and arm to come out from the bottom of it's rags and grab a hold of Dartrix. He was flung into the air and unable to attack. In a bold move, Mimikyu used Shadow Sneak again but this time, aimed for Collin. "HELP DARTRIX!" screamed Collin, looking away.

"KOO HOO!" cried Dartrix. Suddenly, Dartrix was completely covered in white. He grew in size and looked thinner. When the light cleared, Dartrix evolved. Within seconds, what looked like an arrow was shot directly from him, stopping the Shadow Sneak in it's path. Collin finally looked back to see the Pokemon once know as Dartrix standing guard.

"Woah! Rotom what's has Dartrix evolved into?"

"Dartrix has evolved into Decidueye and has also learned the move Spirit Shackle, a Ghost type move that prevents a Pokemon from escaping and does damage." explained Rotom.

"Alright! Decidueye, use Spirit Shackle again! That should take out Mimikyu!" Decidueye pulled back what looked like a bow and an arrow appeared. He aimed the shot and fired directly into the Mimikyu. Not long after, the Mimikyu fainted, ending the Trial. "WELL DONE DECIDUEYE!" said Collin, running up to hug him.

"Koo." cried the Pokemon.

"Alright lets get out of here before I get any more scared." Not wasting any time, Collin spirited towards the exit and almost broke the door down. Acerola was still there, shocked by the door slamming opened.

"Did you do it?!" she asked.

"Yeah. I did it, and I never want to go through that level of hell again." Acerola closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. When she opened them again, she was smiling.

"Yep, you completed the Trial! Congratulations!" she said, shaking Collin's hand. "Here is your Z-Crystal, Ghostium Z." She handed him the crystal and did some weird movements.

"Uh...what was that?"

"That was the dance silly. Use it well." she said. "So, how was it? No too bad right?"

"Worse. That Mimikyu tricked me to follow it. It posed as my mother. I don't know how but it used my emotions when I was scared. My mind couldn't handle it in there." he said. "I'm gonna have even more nightmares now."

"Hey, it's over now. But that's odd, Mimikyu's never do that. At all. Maybe you came across something special. Ooo I'm getting chilly just thinking about it! You can come back to the Aether house and rest up a bit. I'll see you there!" She walked off, leaving Collin on his own. Just as he was about to leave himself, he noticed something from the corner of his eye. He turned around and saw a Mimikyu, much smaller than the Totem one he faced, in the corner. It looked like it was crying. Collin couldn't help but feel bad and walked up to it.

"Hey there little guy. You okay?" said Collin.

"Kyu..." said the Mimikyu, looking at the market.

"Did they kick you out?" he asked. "Did you get scared?"

"Kyu." cried the Pokemon, nodding it's fake head. Collin tried to get close to it but it backed away slowly.

"Hey buddy, I know you're scared. I was scared in there too. I guess we have a lot in common." Collin bent down slowly and placed his hand out. The Mimikyu shuffled to the hand and inspected it. Once it believed it was safe, it started to rub it's body against the hand.

"Kyi..." it cried lovingly. Collin smiled at the poor thing and an idea came into his head.

"Say," he said, getting a Pokeball out of his bag. "wanna join my team? I bet you'll be great help." Mimikyu's eyes shined through the fabric and pressed the button on the Pokeball, entering it. Three quick shakes and Mimikyu was caught. "Welcome to the team buddy, you're gonna like it." He put away the ball and decided to make his way back to the Aether House.

* * *

As he walked back to the Aether House, he noticed someone by the doors. It was Team Skull and Plumeria. Collin rushed towards the house without hesitation. Before they could even get up the steps, Collin blocked their way.

"Oi. What do you think you're doing here?" he asked in a low, serous sounding voice.

"Hey yo, don't get in the way of Big Sis!" said one of the grunts.

"Shut up idiot!" said Plumeria. "Nothing really. Just stealing a Pokemon from those poor defenseless kids." she said bluntly.

"You did WHAT?!" shouted Collin. "Give it back now!"

"No can do. It's already in Po Town. If you want it, come and get it, alone. The boss has been dying to see you again. Good luck trying to get there." she said, walking off with the grunts behind her. Hau came out the door and rushed down the stairs.

"TROUBLE! Team Skull took the Yungoos of one of the kids. That Plumeria woman wiped out my team and took it. She told you to-"

"Yes Hau I just met her and she told me everything." he said, interrupting Hau. "Where's Lillie and Acerola?"

"Lillie is fine and Acerola is with the kids. I'll stay here with them too just in case anything bad happens." he said. "Ugh, this is all my fault."

"No it's not Hau. Don't say that to yourself. You did the best you could and that's all anyone can ask of you." Collin placed a hand on Hau's shoulder, smiling.

"Thank you. I'll do my best to protect the kids this time!" Just when he finished, Lillie came out of the house and came down the stair, nearly tackling Collin.

"Oh Collin it's terrible. Those poor kids. You will get the Yungoos back right?" she asked.

"Of course I will. That's the plan. I just need to get to Po Town, get through the grunts, beat Guzma and get back with the Yungoos. I've done it before and I can do it again."

"You're amazing Collin. Good luck out there and come back safe." she said, hugging him, which he returned. They were hugging longer than he expected to the point he had no idea what to do. She let go of him, smiled and rushed back into the house. Collin was too busy being shocked to notice the smirk on Hau's face.

"Looks like you got a girlfriend~" he sang.

"Shut up! I'm off. Good luck with the kids Hau." Collin walked away from Hau, blushing wildly. He looked at his map and noticed Po Town was just north of where he was. The only way to get to it was by water. So he made his way down to the beach and prepared to have Lapris ready to ride. However, he noticed that the water was full of rocks, which he knew Lapris would never be able to get past. He needed another way across. He then heard the hum of someone close by.

"Man oh man, who would ever come to this sad place." said a voice. A voice that Collin knew. He looked to his side and saw a man completely in white and black. His skin was as white as snow too. But he knew that face all too well.

"Grimsley. What are you doing here in Alola?" said Collin to the Elite Four member of Unova.

"Ah Collin, it has been a while since I last saw you. In case you are wondering, I came here on vacation. Thought I needed a tan for my skin, though it seems I've once again put too much sunscreen on me to get any. Tell me, why are you here?"

"I moved here to relax, got roped into the Island Challenge in the end." he explained.

"Ah yes. I've heard that was a thing here. An interesting idea that I wonder if it would catch on in other regions. Tell me, where are you going today?" asked Grimsley.

"Some goons took a kid's Pokemon and I'm off to save it in Po Town. Thing is, I don't have a way to get through these rocks on the water."

"Collin, saving the day once again. I supposed I can give you a helping hand. But first, why not a small game with Uncle Grimsley?" A smirk appeared on Grimsley as he took out a coin.

"I hate it when you say that. But what's the game?"

"It's simple. Heads or Tails? Win and I'll give you a prize. Deal?" Collin nodded and Grimsley flipped the coin. "Now tell me, which side did the coin land on?" Collin experienced one of his tricks before and knew what to answer."

"It didn't land on either side." said Collin, showing confidence. Grimsley's grin turned into a smile.

"I see you have become wise to my tricks. I was planning on Skarmory to snatch the coin in the air. Well done once again Collin, here is your prize." he said handing over a card for his Pager. "This is a card for Sharpedo, it will allow you to break those rocks and make your way to Po Town."

"Thanks Grimsley. Listen I'd love to talk but I need to get that Pokemon back fast."

"I understand. I wish you the best of luck in your quest. I shall be here for a while if you want to talk some more."

"Sure. Bye Grimsley." said Collin, calling Sharpedo to his aid and began to move on the water. The Pokemon bashed through the rocks with ease and Collin was on the other side in no time. With a deep breath, he ventured into the forest before him and onto Po Town to save Yungoos.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well I hope that was good for you guys. Next chapter however is one I'm really looking forward to write. Can't wait to release it. Anyway, reviews and comments of any nature are welcomed and as always, I'll see you in the next chapter. Cheerio!


	20. Photographic Memories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh God. If there ever was a chapter I was so excited and scared to write, it's this one. Brace yourselves and I hope you enjoy.

**Chapter 20-Photograpic Memories**

When Collin exited the forest, he noticed the weather changed drastically. Gone was the Alolan sun and it was replaced by dark clouds that looked like it was gonna rain any moment. The second thing he noticed was a massive wall that surrounded a town with one entrance and two Team Skull grunts at the guard. With determination flowing through his veins, Collin pratically marched up to the front gate and was immediately blocked by the two grunts.

"Aye yo! No one other than Team Skull is allowed in Po Town!" said one of the grunts.

"Yeah so beat it kid unless you wanna get hurt!" said the other grunt. Collin wasn't in the mood to deal with these idiots and was already in a bad mood before even setting foot in the town.

"Either you move out of the way, or I'll kick your asses." he said through his teeth. The grunts instantly got their Poke Balls out and sent out their low level Pokemon. "Fine, you fucking asked for it!" Collin sent out both Mimikyu and Crabrawler and the fight didn't even last ten seconds.

"D-D-DUDE! Who are you?!" said one of the grunts.

"Doesn't matter, now let me in!" The two grunts rushed into the the town and locked the door.

"No way in hell are you getting in here man! Get lost!" shouted the grunts. Collin began to bang on the door repeatedly, getting more and more annoyed.

"Open this damn door before I blast it through your fucking town!" he shouted.

"Kid, stop. There are other people around here you know?" said a monotone voice behind him. Collin turned around to see a tired looking old man with his hands in his pockets.

"Who the hell are you? You Team Skull?" asked Collin.

"Do I look like I'm in Team Skull? You must be fucking joking. Officer Nanu...retired. I stand guard outside Po Town so Guzma and his grunts don't do too much damage." said the old man.

"Well you're doing a real good job at that aren't you." said Collin with a hint of snark in his voice.

"You even listening kid? I said "too much damage.". You think the shit these kids get up to is harmful? Heh, I've seen worse before."

"Kids? How old are they?" he asked.

"No more than sixteen to eighteen the grunts. Some of them are just ten but they don't really go out of Po Town. They'd rather say in the makeshift house around here. Doesn't matter to me, less work to be done."

"Wait? Ten? Why are they here?" asked Collin

"Some dropped out of the Island Challenge, others ran away from their families. Most have something in common." he explained. Collin couldn't help but feel guilty now. All this time he thought they were mindless grunts who were just evil, but they are just kids like him. "You wanna get into Po Town?" That snapped Collin out of his train of thought.

"Oh, yeah. They stole a Pokemon belonging to a child and I have to get it back."

"I know. My annoyance of a niece told me that someone was coming. Still, it's odd for them to steal Pokemon. I know they make threats but they rarely act them out. Even if they do they return the Pokemon after I tell them to." He reached into his pocket and took out some keys. "I have the keys to the town. Are you sure you wanna go in?"

"Yes. I have to, can't let that kid down."

"Fair enough kid." Nanu went to the door and turned the keys, allowing it to open. "Good luck in there. And by the way, if you don't make it back I'll be sure to collect your remains if you get killed in there." Collin saw the little smirk on his face, proving he was joking, but something about his tone of voice just sent chills down his spine. He entered the doorway, finally in Po Town. As soon as he entered, the rain thundered down and soaked him to the bone within seconds. He saw more Team Skull grunts outside of a large mansion, talking or chilling out. One of them spotted Collin.

"HEY! IT'S THE SCARY GUY THAT TRIED TO GET IN!" one of them shouted. Every grunt was now shaking in fear. It was as if they didn't know what to do. Collin took his time to actually look at some of the grunts and Nanu was right, they were just kids. Collin decided enough was enough.

"Oi, I won't hurt anyone. I'm here to see your boss. This can be over quickly if you just let me pass through." he shouted out lout. Everyone mumbled among themselves and when they finished, they all nodded. "Okay, now where is Guzma?"

"H-H-He's in the mansion." said one of the smaller grunts. Collin walked along the path, taking in the sights. The builds were covered in paint, windows were smash and cars were all over the place. When he got to the mansion, he took one big breath and entered.

* * *

Despite the broken windows, the house felt warm and surprisingly homely for how bad it looks. There were a few more grunts wandering around and they seemed to have heard the message from outside, as they didn't bother him. One thing that did bother him was the sound of pounding techno coming from somewhere in the mansion. It didn't help when the singing started.

_Remix! We use it!~_   
_Get the beat to reuse it!~_   
_Remix! We do it~_   
_Shoot to number one!~_   
_Remix! We lay it!~_   
_Get some motherfucker in to play it!~_   
_Remix! Release it!~_   
_See the money grow!~_

Collin had heard enough and walked through one of the rooms in the mansion. The room was dusty and there was no grunts to be found, only stacks of boxes as high as the roof. Being the nosy kid, he decided to rummage through some of the boxes. One box contained a bunch of Team Skull T-Shirts and chains, another had some Pokemon items that were more than likely stolen. The rest of the boxes was just full of random junk that posed no interest. He decided to look at one more box before he continued his mission, and boy what a box. Inside were old photos, both in frames and outside. They looked old and Collin couldn't help himself but he had to look at them. The first one he picked up was of a young Guzma, no more than ten, holding a trophy with an older woman in the picture who was probably his mom. This continued for a bit until he found a rather interesting picture. It was of Guzma, Kukui, Molayne and his mother Mary.

"Oh yeah, I forgot they were friends." said Collin to himself. They looked like they were in their teens when the photo was taken. Mary looked so happy in the picture. He put it to one side carefully and picked out another picture. This one was just Guzma and Mary. They looked close which Collin didn't know how to feel about giving how he is now. He looked down in the box and saw a rather posh looking frame, at least from the back. He took it out and turned to see what it was. What he saw absolutely floored him. Guzma and his mother, Mary Clarkson, his flesh and blood, were kissing. And it wasn't a friendly kiss, their hands were wrapped round each other and were extremely close. Collin didn't know what to think.

 _You never said you had a boyfriend before Giovanni. Then again that's something you don't really bring up._ He placed the frame down as carefully as he could and walked out of the room, still thinking about the picture. _They must have been close. How close though? I guess I should ask the person in the photo while I'm here._ Collin made his way up the stairs and heard voices coming from inside one of the rooms.

"Oh my Arceus! You're totally wearing my clothes!" said a female voice.

"Na ah! These are my clothes because they don't have your stench on it." said another voice. Collin walked into the room as he needed to know exactly where Guzma is. Although it seems the two girls didn't notice him enter.

"Ugh! I should name my clothes so we don't mix them up again!"

"Uh, HELLO! Our name is Grunt! We are all Grunts! Everyone of us is Grunt!"

"Oh shut up Lucy!" Collin couldn't take it any longer.

"GIRLS!" shouted Collin. The two grunts looked back and saw Collin for the first time.

"Oh...it's you. What do you want?!" said one of the grunts.

"I'm looking for your boss. Where is he?"

"He's on the other side of the mansion. You need to get onto the roof to get across. Now leave us alone!" the other grunt said while pushing Collin out. Following her advice, Collin found a way to the roof and walked across a bunch of wooden planks. He was on the other side of the room and two grunts blocked a door.

"Lads, either let me in or I'll force my way in. And I don't mean a Pokemon battle." Without a word, the grunts moved to the side and allowed Collin to enter. In the room was a chest of what looked like a bunch of Z-Crystals, the walls were covered in paint, the Yungoos was by the chest and in the middle was a throne with Guzma sitting on it.

"The hated boss who beats you down and beats you down and never lets up...Yeah. Big Bad Guzma is here! You got some fuckin' nerve comin' here and thinkin' you can boss my boys around? Heh, if you weren't a little shit I'd gladly have you as an enforcer." he said laughing. "You here for the Yungoos right? You ain't getting it without a fight!"

"Yeah I am. But I have one question for you." said Collin not moving.

"Ugh fine. What is your question?" said Guzma, sitting back down on his chair.

"Who is the woman in the photos in one of your boxes? Was she a friend of yours?" he asked. Guzma looked confused at first, but that confusing quickly turned into annoyance.

"Who said you could look into my stuff?"

"Just answer the damn question!" said Collin, looking just as annoyed. Guzma took in a deep breath and laid it out.

"Fine. The woman in the pictures wasn't just a friend, she was my best friend. She helped me through some dark shit back in the day when we were young. She had me make friends with Kukui and Molayne but I only really care about her."

"And I assume that became more than friendship." said Collin.

"You got it. She wanted to be with me for the rest of our lives and for a good while, everything was fine. Then...we did something stupid. One night, after a long day, we decided to go further than we ever did. My stupid ass forgot a condom." He cringed at the thought of it. "A few weeks later I get a call from her mother, yell and ranting at me saying that they were going to Kanto. I rushed down to the pier in Hau'oli city and she told me then and there that she was pregnant. She said we'd keep in contact but it's been eighteen years and I've never heard from her since." Guzma slumped back into the chair, looking upset from the whole thing.

"Eighteen years?" asked Collin, trying his best to keep calm but his anger was boiling.

"Yeah, eighteen. Great, now you've gone and made me upset thinking about Mary ya shit."

"Mary? As in, Mary Clarkson?"

"Yeah. Mary Clarkson. Why? Have you meet her in Kanto?" asked Guzma. Guzma didn't prepare himself for what Collin was about to say.

"Mary Clarkson is my mother! I was born eighteen years ago in Kanto!" he shouted. Guzma just stared at him, gobsmacked.

"No...no you're fucking with me aren't you! There is no way in hell you are her son!"

"I AM HER SON! I saw her as a damn ghost less than an hour ago and you have the fucking balls to tell me that I'm not her son?!" Guzma's face went from rage to sadness.

"She's dead? You're fucking lying again you shit! First you lie about you being her son, and you lie about her death!? YOU SICK FUCK!" he shouted. They both got their Poke Balls out and were ready to throw them at any moment. "I've had enough of your damn lies! You wanna see destruction in human form?!"

"I couldn't give a damn! FIGHT ME!" Collin had no idea why he was so angry, aside from being called a lair. One thing was for sure, he was gonna show he was the son of Mary Clarkson.

"You fucking asked for it you lying sack of shit!"

* * *

"GO ARIADOS!"

"GO SALAZZLE!" Both Pokemon came out and were ready to battle. "Flamethrower!" he shouted and a wall of flame shot out of Salazzle's mouth. The Ariados just dodged out of the way, but still managed to get hit on the side.

"Shadow Sneak his ass Ariados!" The shadow grew large and attempted to attack Salazzle, but she somehow managed to cling to the wall and dodge the attack. "Heh, sneaky bitch."

"Flamethrower again!" shouted Colllin while Guzma was distracted. The flames directly hit Ariados, knocking it out completely.

"Ugh! Now you really are done for! GO GOLISOPOD!" Out came the one member of Guzma's team Collin feared.

"Salazzle dog-"

"FIRST IMPRESSION!" shouted Guzma over Collin. In no time at all, Salazzle was sent flying back in the room with the impact knocking her out. "Hah! That little trick didn't work on him this time!"

"Salazzle return!" Salazzle returned to the ball and Collin was stuck. _Decidueye won't be any help with the Bug Type, Crabrawler won't stand a chance with Razor Shell and Mimikyu is still too weak._ Collin took out a Poke Ball that was his only chance. "Go Prinplup!" Guzma saw the Pokemon come out and laughed.

"Heh, that thing won't help you. Golisopod, Swords Dance!" A bunch of clear swords surrounded Golisopod and managed to buff up it's attack.

"Damn it." Collin knew he was in trouble even if the Razor Shell was water. "Metal Claw Prinplup!" shouted Collin.

"Dodge and use Razor Shell!" Prinplup's wings were just shy of hitting Golispod but the Razor Shell managed to hit, causing Prinplup to fall back and struggle to get up.

"Come on buddy! You can do it! Metal Claw again!" shouted Collin. This time it did connect but it seemed to do next to nothing.

"Haha! You ready to admit you're lying?! You don't know a damn thing about Mary Clarkson!"

"I know more than you ever have Guzma!"

"Fine! You won't admit you're lying, then you will get a beat down! RAZOR SHELL!" Golisopod charged forward and connected the attack right into Prinplup's chest. Prinplup was now on his knees. "You give?!" Collin was lost in thought, he didn't know what to do expect speak.

"I know how she smiled when she saw Rattata's. She always found them cute. She would worry over everything, even if it was something small. She would brighten up anyone's day when they walked past her. And she asked for nothing in return and she was taken away from the world way too soon. So don't you dare tell me I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT MY OWN MOM!" With that last push of desperation, Prinplup started to glow white. It grew to to taller than Collin and Guzma and he's wings grew longer. When the glow faded, Prinplup was now Empoleon. "Okay Empoleon, show him what you're made of. AQUA JET!"

"Empoleon!" cried the Pokemon. Water surrounded the Pokemon and it rushed towards Golisopod and managed to connect with the attack. The attack seemed to do a lot of damaged as the Pokemon was sent back quiet a bit and struggled to get up.

"DAMN IT BOY! USE RAZOR SHELL!"

"DODGE AND USE METAL CLAW!" Empoleon did manage to dodge the Razor Shell and connect with it's own Metal Claw. After the attack was dealt, Golisopod fell to the ground, defeated. Guzma returned it to its ball without a word. "Well done Empoleon, you deserve a rest." said Collin, returning Empoleon to his ball.

"GUZMA WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU!?" he shouted, startling Collin, who's anger died down slightly. "Tch, here, have the damn Pokemon back and get out." he said, shoving the Yungoos to Collin.

"Don't need to tell me twice." Just as Collin was about to leave out the door, Guzma ran up behind him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"So...you really are Mary's son?" he asked.

"Yeah. I've been telling you that. Has it finally clicked?"

"I guess...it's weird to know I have a son-"

"I'm not your son. You weren't there for me and I get it you couldn't. But nothing? No letters? I believed I was the son of a crime boss for almost seven years. I guess things don't change." said Collin, interrupting him.

"Fair enough I guess...is she actually dead?"

"Yes. She died a few months ago. I don't know how so don't ask. I'm going now, I need to think." he said and left the room without another word or to even see Guzma's face. When he exited the mansion, there were a lot less grunts around compared to when he came in. Nanu was making his way up the path to greet him.

"Have I got you to thank for all of this?" he asked.

"I guess. Look I don't care I just want to get this Yungoos back and rest a bit and then finish the Trials." said Collin, wiping his face from all the rain.

"Trial Goer huh? Ugh what a pain. You've beaten the Ghost Trial huh?" Collin nodded with a response. "Fine. I'm the Kahuna of the Island and I'm supposed to challenge you...but I'm in no mood to do a full challenge so...one on one while we are here?"

"...fine. Let's get this over with." said Collin, getting his Pokeballs ready.

* * *

"Go Persian." said Nanu lazily, throwing out the cat Pokemon. It looked a lot more chubby compared to most Collin seen, so he assumed it was Alolan. Judging by it's colour, Collin knew what Pokemon to use.

"Go Crabrawler!" shouted Collin. Crabrawler came out and punched the air ready to fight.

"Use Dark Pulse." said Nanu, not sounding interested at all. The Dark Pulse flowed from Persian and made a beeline to Crabrawler.

"Dodge and use Power-Up-Punch!" Crabrawler jumped over the pulse and landed it's fist right onto Persian's fat head. "Alright let's get this over with! UNLEASH Z-MOVE!" Collin twisted the Z-Crystal and let out a fury of punches, powering up Crabrawler. "NOW USE ALL OUT PUMMELING!" Crabrawler charged forward and sent out a fury of rapid fire punches, completely knocking out the Persian.

"Hmph...guess you are good. Return Persian." Persian returned to the ball and Nanu walked up to Collin. "I know I shouldn't be doing this, but I couldn't care. You've beaten the Kahuna on Ula Ula...woo. Here's your Z-Crystal." he said handing it to Collin. "Now all you have left is Poni Island."

"Uncle Nanu!" shouted a female voice.

"Ah, here comes the annoyance."

"Oh hush Uncle. Hey Collin! I see you got the Yungoos!" said Acerola. "And I see you've got the Darkium Z-Crystal. Did you show him the dance Uncle Nanu?" With a groan, Nanu preformed a dance similar to the Ghostium Z dance, only the ending was different. "Hehe, you're so funny Uncle."

"Whatever. You going or what?" asked Nanu.

"Of yeah. Collin I can take the Yungoos and you can fly back to the Aether House. You look wrecked." said Acerola.

"Like you wouldn't believe. Mind if I say there for the day? I need to think about a few things."

"Of course! Stay as long as you like. I'll see you back there." said Acerola and she walked off with the Yungoos. Nanu walked along side her and Collin called the Charizard to fly him back to the Aether House.

* * *

When he landed outside of the Aether House, he swore he heard crying. Wasting no time ran in the door to see the two kids crying and Hau looking stunned.

"Hau what the hell is going on?!" shouted Collin.

"T-T-TROUBLE! LILLIE WAS TAKEN BY TEAM SKULL!" shouted Hau. Collin felt like he was hit by a ton of bricks.

"WHAT?! How?! I was there and I didn't see anyone come in!"

"I was out getting some food for Lillie and the kids and she was gone. The kids told me that Plumeria came back and forced her to come with them, or she'll hurt the kids. Oh Arceus Collin where could she be?!" asked Hau in a panic and worrying about Lillie.

"I don't know! DAMN IT!" shouted Collin when the door opened.

"WHAT THE FUCK DID I TELL YOU TO DO YOU IDIOT!?" said a new voice.

"G-Gladion?! What are you doing here?!" asked Hau. Gladion ignored Hau's question and got right up into Collin's face.

"I told you to protect Cosmog and you let him get captured?! How stupid are you that you can't follow one simple task!?" Collin pushed Gladion so hard he fell on to the floor.

"Don't. You. DARE think I didn't help! Unlike you who decided hanging around Team Skull and acting like a edgy kid would help, I went out of my way for Cosmog! I saved it from falling into a river for Arceus sake and you think I'm an idiot? Fuck off!" shouted Collin at the top of his voice to the point he nearly winded himself. Gladion looked like a deer in the headlights and slowly got up from the floor.

"S-Sorry. It's not your fault. I'm just so mad that I lash out. Forgive me."

"You're forgiven. Now, where the hell is Lillie?" asked Collin.

"...Aether Paradise. Team Skull took her to Aether Paradise." said Gladion. If the Aether House was Collin's own house, he would have teared the house down with his bare hands.

"FOR FUCK SAKE!" shouted Collin.

"W-W-Why? What's so bad about that?" asked Hau.

"No time to explain, we need to get there now. I got a boat that can bring us there. You coming Collin?"

"No need to asked." he said with venom in his voice. "You coming Hau?"

"I-I-I-I guess I could. Kids, you'll be alright till Acerola comes right?" The two kids gave a silent nod. "Okay, let's go!" The three boys walked out of the house and used Charizard to get to Malie City where Gladion's boat was. Without a single word, they boarded the boat and they set off.

"Is there anyone on the inside that knows about you?" asked Collin.

"Only a few, one of them is giving me clearance to get in. Get yourself ready, this isn't going to be good." said Gladion as the boat began to rock along the waves. Collin began to feel deja vu with this whole thing after taking down other origination's. He may have faced this sort of situation before, but this time, it was personal. He was gonna save Nebby and Lillie, no matter what the cost is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy that was a big chapter. Well for me it was. I'll be taking another break from the fic so I can make sure what I'm doing from here on out. Anyway, reviews and comments of any nature are welcomed and as always, I'll see you in the next chapter. Cheerio!


	21. Trouble in Paradise (Part 1)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah....about that break huh? I kinda got the inspiration last night and I couldn't let it say in me so here you go! Okay so this event is gonna be split into two parts since there is a lot to digest. I'm pretty sure after these two chapters, it will be smooth sailing for a while. Enjoy the chapters!

**Chapter 21-Trouble in Paradise (Part 1)**

It was night time by the time Gladion's boat docked under Aether Paradise. Due to it's colour and it being a moonless night, it wasn't spotted by any Aether Grunts. Everyone got out of the boat and were greeted by a female grunt.

"Master Gladion, good to see you." said the grunt.

"Good to see you too Janet." said Gladion, shaking her hand. "What's the situation?"

"Not good sir. The whole place is on lock down and employees are everywhere. It looks like your plan of sneaking around might have been shot."

"Damn. Thanks Janet, stay here by the boat in case we need to escape." Janet nodded and resumed her post while Gladion, Hau and Collin walked up against a wall. Gladion took a peak behind it and like Janet said, the place was crawling with grunts. "Ugh, this would have been so much easier if we could sneak."

"Why? I mean we aren't Team Skull so surely we can get past fine." said Hau, still clueless to what is going on.

"We can just go on the attack. They are gonna find out that we are here anyway so it's best we go large and charge." said Collin. Gladion turned around to face Collin with a look that said 'are you fucking stupid?'

"So instead of getting caught when we sneak about, we get caught by throwing ourselves out to them. Yeah that sounds like a great fucking plan."

"This isn't my first time doing this." said Collin and spiriting out from the wall.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" shouted Gladion before running after him. followed by Hau. As expected, two grunts spotted Collin right away.

"INTRUDER ALERT! INTRUDER ALERT!" shouted one of the grunts over the radio. All the grunts in the docking area were now on high alert. The two in front of Collin got their Poke Balls out and threw out their Pokemon. "Try getting past these!" said the same grunt.

"With pleasure! GO MIMIKYU AND SALAZZLE!" Collin threw his Pokemon out and within less than a minute, the grunts were dealt with and Collin ran passed them. Gladion managed to catch up to Collin, with Hau lagging behind, just after dealing with another pair of grunts.

"You're insane! Do you honestly think this is gonna work the whole time?!" asked Gladion, confused.

"Again, this isn't my first time doing this and it's always worked. I'd be more worried about how you are gonna get your sister back."

"H-H-How did you-"

"Come on, same hair colour as Lillie and your mom, the fact that Janet knows you, not to mention knowing of Cosmog. The signs are all there mate." said Collin, interrupting him.

"Tch, lucky guess. Fine, do it your way." Just as Gladion was finished talking, Hau caught up to them.

"Okay is anyone gonna fill me in on this? Or am I just gonna be in the dark for the rest of this trip?" he asked. Collin and Gladion looked at each other and shrugged.

"Okay Lusamine is a crazy bitch that wants Cosmog, aka Nebby, to possibly open up an Ultra Wormhole. My guess is so that she can catch that Ultra Beast we saw a few days ago when we came here. Remember?" said Collin.

"Yeah...I guess you were right Collin. Sorry about doubting you."

"No worries. Let's go and find out where Lillie and Nebby are, then we'll worry about Lusamine." said Collin. After battling more grunts, with Hau and Gladion helping out this time, they finally got to the elevator. "...anyone know how to work this thing?"

"Give it to me." said Gladion, typing away at the control pad. Seconds later, the elevator began to move up. "We should be prepared at any moment now that they know we are here."

"It feels like I'm in an action movie! Like Durant-Man!" Collin couldn't help but chuckle at the way Hau stayed innocent throughout this. It even made Gladion laugh. "I think that's the first time I've seen you smile. You should do it more Glad."

"Glad?"

"Yeah, like a nick name." said Hau, smiling at him. Somehow, someway, this made Gladion blush.

"Whatever, let's get back to focusing on the mission at hand." he said, trying to calm himself. When the elevator reached the second floor, they were about to get out before they saw someone walk towards them.

"I, Faba, am the Aether Branch Chief. The only one in the world, I am irreplaceable." said Faba, standing proudly in front of the three males.

"Someone thinks highly of themselves." muttered Collin. This pissed Faba off, to say the least.

"HOW DARE YOU INTERRUPT ME! YOU COME BACK UNINVITED AND THINK YOU CAN TAKE ON MY EMPLOYEES?!" he shouted.

"I think you mean Lusamine's employees." said Gladion in a deadpan vouce.

"Oh how the days haven't been kind to you Gladion. So cold, so alone, so worthless to our business. If I had my way I'd thrown you out before you could walk." he threatened, getting up close to the boys. Collin wasn't having any of it and stood tall in front of Gladion and Hau.

"I couldn't care if they are Lusamine's employees or your employees. What I do care is that you kidnapped someone and are harming an innocent Pokemon. Now I suggest that you tell us where Lillie and Cosmog are or so help me I will BRAIN you against the wall!" Collin's face was completely red with anger, enough to intimidate Faba. Strangely, he seemed to keep his cool.

"Hmph, I supposed I could tell you. I hear they are in the labs. There are experiments going on down there that could shake the fabric of the world. Surely you'll find them down there." he said, sounding genuine. With caution, Collin got back on the elevator and Gladion pressed the control pad to send them down, not before Collin noticed the smirk across Faba's face.

"We've been tricked." he said bluntly.

"Obviously we've been tricked. But I needed to come down here anyway. Play along for now." said Gladion. Collin kept silent as the elevator went past the docks and went deep down into the Aether Labs.

* * *

When they reached the labs, they were surrounded by some scientist wearing strange clothes and their faces covered by a mask.

"Halt intruders. You shall not pass here or face the consequences of your actions!" said one of the scientists. Collin rolled his eyes and threw out Decidueye and Empoleon.

"Can I get one evil base that doesn't have over the top scientists?" he asked before taking out their Pokemon, along side Hau and Gladion. "Okay Gladion, what is it that you need?"

"Nothing that matters to you." he said as they walked into a hall full of rooms. "I'm gonna check this lab over here." said Gladion, pointing at a room beside him. "You two have a look at the other lab down there and see if you can find any information on Cosmog." Before Hau or Collin could say a word, he ran into the lab.

"Yeesh. You'd think he'd explain what's going on." said Hau.

"Doesn't matter. Let get to the lab to see what Cosmog is." The two friends walked to the lab, keeping their eyes opened for anyone that could attack them. Thankfully there was no one and they entered the lab, only to be spotted by two Aether Grunts.

"Okay, you have two choices. One, shut up and let us do what we need to do. Or two, get a beat down like you wouldn't believe. Which is it going to be?" said Collin. However, the two grunts didn't look phased.

"You're with Gladion right?" said the male grunt.

"Y-Y-Yeah. What of it?" asked Hau.

"Heh, guess he forgot we were down here. We are helping him. I assume you are hear for information on Cosmog." said the female grunt.

"Yeah, mind giving us the info?" asked Collin.

"Sure." The male grunt walked over to the computer and typed away. "There you go, all the information we could gather." he said, getting off from the chair.

"Thanks. And sorry about the threat, you can't really tell who's on which side here."

"No problem. We need to get going though, we might cause suspicion if we get caught. Good luck you two." said the female grunt and they left the lab. Collin sat down on the chair and began to look through the files. One of them in particular caught his eye.

_The Pokemon dubbed Cosmog is an Ultra Beasts that has the amazing power to summon Ultra Wormholes. Unfortunately this power is unstable due to how young the Ultra Beast is. Further testing should be met with extreme caution, as tampering with Cosmog could cause more than one Ultra Wormhole to open up in random locations._

Collin fell into a slump on the chair. Once again he's thrown in another potental world ending plot. He let out a loud groan that caught the attention of Hau.

"Did you find out something about Nebby?" asked Hau.

"Yes and it's not good. We need to find Lillie and Nebby fast, or who knows what could happen if that crazy bitch gets a hold of it." The two exited the lab just as Gladion exited the lab he went in.

"You're in a hurry. Find out anything?" he asked.

"I'm not repeating myself. Let's just say it's bad and leave it at that. Let's get to the main floor now and find out what to do next." The three walked back to the elevator and Gladion pushed the control pad to go up.

"Ugh, pains me to say this, but thanks for helping me with this. I don't think I'd be able to do this on my own." he said, showing a genuine smile. Collin couldn't help but pat him on the back

"Look, I know we got on the wrong foot, but just so you know I got your back now. I understand why you're so tense now."

"Yeah! I mean that's what friends do right? Help each other out when they are in need." said Hau.

"Friends...heh, guess I could consider you two that." The elevator continued it's path up to the main floor with still no idea where Lillie and Nebby where.

* * *

When the elevator landed back on the main floor, they were surrounded by a bunch of Aether Grunts.

"HA! Cornered you now intruders. Wished you never messed with Aether now huh?!" said one of the grunts. Collin couldn't help but laugh at them.

"Oh please fuck off, we've beaten...what...twenty of you already?" he said turning to Gladion who just gave him a shrug. "Wasn't counting anyway. But the point is, if you think a group of you can take us on at once, you will regret it!" The grunts seemed to stagger back, but they continued to stand in there way.

"Doesn't matter! For Aether!" shouted the grunts and they threw out their Pokemon.

"This is what happens when you try to be reasonable. Hau, you with me?"

"Always!" said Hau, getting his Pokemon out and fought along side Collin, which of course they won. They helped Gladion with his side of grunts and took them down no time flat.

"Retreat! Retreat!" shouted the grunts and they ran off in multiple directions. The group's Pokemon were getting very tired, when they heard the footsteps of someone walking towards them.

"Oh no not you Wicke." said Collin, fearing that the nicest one out of Aether was gonna try and stop them.

"Actually Mister Collin, you are mistaking. I'm not here to stop you, I'm here to help you." she said. Collin and Hau breath a sigh of relief.

"Thank Arceus for that!" said Hau.

"Hehe, glad to see your worries are gone. And I should say welcome back Master Gladion." she said turning to the blond hair boy. Hau turned and looked confused.

"M-Master?!" he cried.

"I suppose you are looking of Madam Lusamine and Lillie." said Wicke, ignoring Hau's comment.

"Yeah. Any idea where they are?" asked Gladion.

"I do, they are in the Presidents mansion, at the back of the Paradise. Unfortunately there is only one key that allows you to get to the back." she said, looking rather sad.

"And let me guess, Faba has it." said Collin, with Wicke giving a nod in response. "Okay lads, I see Faba behind us by what I assume is the door. Let's take the fight to him and see how he likes it." The three nodded and were just about to leave before Wicke stopped them.

"Wait! Let me heal your Pokemon first. They've been through a lot so I hate to see them in an even more terrible state." she said. The three boys handed their Poke Balls over to Wicke and she healed them in less than a few minutes. "There you go. I wish you three the best of luck." They nodded and walked all the way to the back of the main floor, where they were greeted by Faba and three other grunts.

"My my my, what naughty children." said Faba, sounding really creepy to the point even the two grunts beside him cringed. "You should all lay your heads down."

"You really are a creep aren't you?" said Collin.

"Bah! Doesn't matter what you think. But I knew you'd continue to struggle on. I knew you would try to reach the President. Which is why I sent you down to the labs! That level of ingeniousness allowed me to gather some of the strongest staff in Aether to block your way from ever reaching her! Truly the mark of brilliance from the Great Branch Chief Faba!" he said, posing like a super hero. Collin and Gladion weren't impressed at all, while Hau was thinking about something.

"Say Mister Faba, you have the key to the door behind us right?" he asked.

"Yeah! I have it right here!" said Faba, holding out the key in his hand. Hau began to laugh out loud, so much that the whole of Aether could hear him.

"You could have just hid the key and we'd never find it!" he said falling to the ground laughing.

"...WHAT?!" shouted Faba. Now even Collin and Gladion were laughing.

"Oh Arceus how could you be that stupid!?" shouted Gladion, holding his stomach.

"You're a fucking idiot Faba!...Oh shit I can't breathe!" shouted Collin, falling flat on his face, crying with laughter. Faba looked completely red. Even the Aether grunts were laughing.

"ENOUGH!" he shouted. "I HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF DISOBEDIENT CHILDREN MAKING FUN OF ME! YOU TWO!" he shouted at the two grunts. "HELP ME TAKE THESE ANNOYANCES OUT OR YOU'LL BE THROWN OUT TO THE STREET!" Collin finally got off from the ground and smirked.

"Heh, I've been wanting to kick your ass since I laid eyes on you. Hau, Gladion, take out the grunts and leave Faba to me. You're gonna wish you never fucked with me."

* * *

"Go Slowbro!" shouted Faba. Out came the dopey looking Pokemon, looking off in the distance.

"Go Decidueye!" Decidueye stood proud in front of Collin as it began to flex it's wings out. "Let's give this guy a world of pain! Use Spirit Shackle!" Decidueye pulled back his bow and shot an arrow straight at the Slowbro, hitting it directly.

"Ugh you insect Use Yawn!" shouted Faba.

"Dodge the Yawn!" Decidueye tried his best to do so, but it caught him just at the right time and made Decidueye yawn. "Damn! Finish it off with a Leaf Blade!" shouted Collin. Decidueye's wing sharpened as hard as a sword and managed to cut down Slowbro. Faba began to stamp the ground hard.

"No! Ugh return." The dopey Pokemon returned to it's ball just as Decidueye fell asleep.

"Heh, you need a rest anyway, enjoy it." said Collin, returning the sleeping Pokemon to his ball.

"Go Hypno!" shouted Faba. The Pokemon came out and already Collin was freaked out.

"Ugh I always hated these things. Go Empoleon!" Empoleon came out and even it was freaked out by the Hypno. "Come on buddy stay with me. Set up a Swords Dance!" A row of swords surrounded Empoleon and danced around him, powering up his moves.

"Disable Swords Dance!" shouted Faba. Hypno used it's psychic abilities to disable the Swords Dance, making Faba pretty smug looking. However, Collin wasn't phased at all.

"Heh, I don't need another one. AQUA JET!" Empoleon was surrounded by water and rushed towards the Hypno, launching it clean in the air, much to the shock of Faba.

"W-W-What?! H-H-How?!" he cried, making Collin laugh.

"Seems like someone thinks I couldn't battle. Return Empoleon." said Collin and his Pokemon. Faba was even more furious now.

"UGH YOU ASKED FOR IT! GO BRUXISH!" Out came a weird looking fish Pokemon with massive lips. Collin began to think carefully of who he should send out next. _Hmm...both Hypno and Slowbro are Psychic types...Bruxish must be one too. Heh, too easy._

"GO MIMIKYU!" The little Ghost Pokemon came out and scurried along the floor. Faba couldn't help but laugh at the size of the Pokemon.

"HA! You slipped up now! CRUNCH IT BRUXISH!" shouted Faba. The Pokemon opened it's massive mouth and bit down into Mimikyu. But Mimikyu didn't look phased at all. "WHAT?!"

"Man you really are an idiot! Shake it off you Mimikyu!" Mimikyu used its shadow like hands to grab Bruxish and throw it into the air. "NOW, UNLEASH Z-MOVE!" shouted Collin, twisting the Ghostium Z and preforming the dance Acerola showed him and powered up Mimikyu. "USE NEVER-ENDING NIGHTMARE!" The battle ground was covered in darkness when suddenly, large hands came out from the ground and dragged Bruxish down into the ground, causing a massive explosion. When the light came back, Bruxish was defeated.

"NO! YOU INSOLENT WORTHLESS CHILD! HOW DARE YOU DEFY ME!?" shout Faba, bouncing up and down. Little did he know, a key fell out of his lab coat pocket and before he could notice Gladion, who has just defeated one of the grunts, swooped down and grabbed the keys.

"Got them!" he shouted and went to unlock the door. With a few clicks, the massive door began to lift from the ground and the way to the Aether Mansion was opened. "Come on, let's get going!" said Gladion, running through the opening.

"Gladly, you ready Hau?" asked Collin just as he finished his fight with the grunt he was fighting.

"Sure!" said Hau, smiling. Collin and Hau walked to the door, before Hau turned around and waved at Faba. "Thank you Mister Faba!" he said, making both him and Collin laugh as they walked forward through the door, ready to face what was in store for them.

"Ugh...this...this is why I can't like kids." said Faba to the beaten down grunts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo boy! I hope this comes out well. Next time, we will see if Collin can save Lillie and take down Lusamine. Reviews and comments of any nature are welcomed and as always, I'll see you in the next chapter. Cheerio!


	22. Trouble in Paradise (Part 2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we are at the final part of the Aether Raid. Will Collin save Lillie and Nebby? Can he stopped Lusamine from her evil plan? And which character will end up with Collin in this fic? All these questions will be answered........right now. Possibly, maybe, have you read the fic? Enjoy the chapter!

**Chapter 22-Trouble in Paradise (Part 2)**

When walking out to the pathway leading to the Aether Mansion, the last thing Collin expected was a line of Team Skull grunts on the bridge and at the very end, standing guard, was Guzma. Collin tried his damn hardest to prevent himself from face palming.

"Oh for Arceus sake. All this fucking time and they've been working with Aether? I had enough of this." he said, just as Gladion spirited towards Guzma, who seemed to laugh out loud when Gladion threw out Type Null. "...okay while he's dealing with that, we'll take care of the grunts. Right Hau?" he said, turning to his friend.

"Yeah! Let's kick some grunt butt!" said Hau, and rushed off to face some of the grunts. Collin followed, taking on two grunts at once and like before, had no trouble with it. By the time he got to the final grunt on the bridge, who's hands were in the air before the battle started.

"Yo dude! I may be hard, but I know not to pick battles I can't win!" he said. Collin couldn't help but smirk at the grunt.

"Heh, I like you. Now get lost." The grunt didn't have to be told twice has he ran off to the entrance, leaving Collin to continue his way up to where Guzma and Gladion were fighting. Just as he reached them, Gladion fell in defeat.

"DAMN! I'm not strong enough for Null. I'm sorry Null." he said, returning the Pokemon to its Ball. Guzma continued to let out a belly laugh.

"HAHA! To think I took pity on you when you came crawling to me. You're still weak kid!" said Guzma, still laughing. And then he noticed Collin and his face turned to something that Collin couldn't read at all. "...You came." was all he said.

"What? You didn't think I would? After busting my ass to Po Town and beating you down to get a Yungoos, what made you think when I found out that you were up to this that I wouldn't come?" asked Collin, getting annoyed already. Guzma began to scratch the back of his head and looked away.

"I just...ugh...I didn't want to see you after...you know...and I know you didn't want to see me...so we're both in the shit." he said, letting out a deep breath. "Anyway, get ready for a beat down!" Collin didn't pay any attention and just walked to the side. "Hey! Where are you going?!" shouted Guzma, blocking Collin.

"I'm not gonna fight you, I'm sick of seeing you. Now get out of my way!" said Collin through his teeth.

"No can do! You are gonna have to fight me to get past!" Without a word, Collin pushed Guzma down to the ground with all his strength. Guzma looked like he had no idea what just happened as he looked up at Collin, who's face was of pure rage.

"I said I'm not going to fight you and I warned you to get out of my way." he said in a low voice. He bent down toward Guzma, getting his face extremely close. "What would Mary think if she was still here? Do you think she'd be proud? My bet she wouldn't." Guzma was left speechless. No comebacks, no one liners. Complete silence as Collin got up and walked passed him and entered the Aether Mansion, not giving a damn about Guzma's feelings. Once in the Mansion, he saw Lillie and Lusamine arguing.

"FOR THE LAST TIME MOTHER, LET NEBBY GO!" shouted Lillie. All Lusamine did was laugh in response as Lillie turned around to see Collin. She wasted no time as she ran towards him and pulled him into a hug. "COLLIN! You came! You actually came!" she roared out, as if she was about to cry.

"Shh...it's okay, I'm here now." he said, slowly rubbing her back.

"Aw isn't that sweet?" said Lusamine, making Lillie and Collin break out of the hug. "Such a shame that a brilliant young trainer would waste their time with someone like you." she said with venom in her voice while looking at Lillie.

"I don't need your approval mother! Collin has been there for me more than you ever have been for the last eight years!" shouted Lillie.

"Calling me mother? Bah! I have no children! Certainly ones who run away from me and reject my love! How could anyone love you?!" she said, laughing even harder.

"How could anyone love you?! You selfish bitch!" shouted Collin.

"Doesn't matter what you think! Soon I'll have my perfect world!" she said, lifting up what looked like a cage.

"Pew..." said the cage, which sounded very weak.

"Nebby! You sick twisted bitch!" Collin was ready to deck her right in the face before Lillie stopped him.

"Stop this mother! Don't kill Nebby for that beasts sake!" said Lillie, now with tears streaming down her eyes. "If you open that wormhole, Cosmog will die!"

"You're right, it probably will die, because I will force it to use it's power like it or not!" Lusamine continued to laugh out loud while still holding the cage. "Such a shame, you could have trained it to stay alive, but alas, you aren't trainer material. All you are ever good for is for stealing research material!"

"How dare you talk about your own damn daughter like that!" shouted Collin, now even more angry than he thought he could get.

"What did I say earlier? Oh yeah, I have no daughter." she said, showing her wicked grin. "Feel free to join me as I summon my beautiful creature. And you know what? Maybe Lillie was my daughter at one point...but not anymore." Lusamine walked into a teleport panel and disappeared. Before making his move, he grabbed a hold of Lillie.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah. But Nebby is in trouble. I hate to ask again, but please save Nebby!" she begged, holding his hands.

"You don't even have to ask. Come on, we'll save him together." The two walked hand in hand to the teleport panel and followed wherever Lusamine went.

* * *

When the two came out the teleport panel, they felt the air in the room get increasingly cold. Lusamine was standing at some sort of computer, typing away at the keyboard before turning to see Lillie and Collin.

"Come, this way." she said. The two walked forward, noticing the blocks to each of their side and all around them. It wasn't till Collin got a good look at them that he noticed what was inside.

"...You didn't freeze Pokemon." he said, looking at a Slowpoke frozen in the block of ice.

"I had to to preserve their beauty. All of these are my prized collection." she said, pointing all over the room. All the walls were covered in ice blocks, with each one containing a Pokemon inside it.

"T-T-That's awful!" said Lillie, horrified by the sights.

"But my beautiful Ultra Beast, so lost, so alone, so confused. It just needs a mother to teach it. And when it's ready, it will express itself all over Alola!" Lusamine started to laugh when two more people came through the Teleport Panel.

"Miss Lusamine!" said Hau.

"Ah, dear Sweet Hau. How nice of you to join us." said Lusamine, smiling at the trainer.

"Mother!" shouted Gladion, running up beside Hau.

"And Gladion...must you be so untidy. Hehe, it's funny. My two children who took away my research and left me now return. All I ever did was give you my love and you two betray me! So why should I even give you my attention?!" Hau looked at Lillie, Lusamine and Gladion, when suddenly it looked like he's head exploded.

"WAIT! YOU'RE FAMILY!?" he shouted.

"Yay, we got there!" said Collin, extending his hand for Gladion to shake, which he begrudgingly did.

"Maybe we were a family once, sweet Hau. But they left me and now, we are no long a family. But that doesn't matter now, nothing does. Once my sweet Ultra Beast is here, I'll be at peace." she said, sighing.

"Stop this mother! You don't know what you're doing!" said Gladion.

"Actually, I do. With some gases from Cosmog, we were able to open one Ultra Wormhole in Paradise." she said as she lifted up the caged Nebby was in. "But now that he's in this cage, who knows how many will open! My sweet beasts will all come through the wormholes!"

"Stop this now! If you open that many wormholes, the beasts might not be the only problem, these tear the fabric of reality! Too many wormholes and who knows what could happen! Cancel this now!" shouted Collin.

"How dare you order me! I WILL open the wormholes and I WILL see my beautiful beasts!" she said, lifting up the cage and twisting the handle.

"PEW!" cried Nebby as a powerful force came out of the cage and a while light blinded everyone.

"GET BACK!" shouted Gladion, and everyone fell back to the ground. When the light died down, an Ultra Wormhole appeared in the air and through it, came the same Ultra Beast that Collin fought in his first visit.

* * *

On Melemele Island, Kahuna Hala was walking around the outside of Iki Town.

"I'm just a Kahuna taking a stroll~" he sang just as the ground began to shake and black clouds began to form. "Hmm? The weather changed suddenly." Just then, a flash of light appeared over the sky, revealing another Ultra Wormhole. A large muscular insect like Pokemon came through the wormhole and landed right in front of Hala. "So...you wanna fight?" asked Hala. The Pokemon let out a cry and charged forward, however was stopped by a bolt of Lightning.

"TAPU KOKOKOKO!" screamed Tapu Koko, coming in to land beside Hala.

"You come to help friend?" asked Hala. Tapu Koko nodded and prepared to fight. "I just hope the other Kahunas are ready to fight." he said. With the two Pokemon letting out their battle cries, they charged forward and began to fight.

* * *

Back in Aether, Lusamine was laughing while watching the screen and the Ultra Beast in the room with them.

"Pew..." said Nebby, who sounded extremely tired and weak.

"Bah! Must you be so noisy. Then again, I guess I could say you were useful." said Lusamine turning back to the screen. "Thanks you your power, there are beautiful Ultra Beasts all over Alola. Poni, Akala, Ula Ula, even Melemele have Ultra Beasts! Isn't this amazing!?" she said, looking in absolute bliss.

"Far from it! Not only have you endangered the lives of many people, possibly weakened the fabric of reality and hurt your own children, you're also fucking mental!" shouted Collin. Lusamine didn't even pay attention to him as she stared at the Ultra Beast.

"Oh...my sweet, sweet Ultra Beast." she cooed. Just as she was finished ogling over the Ultra Beast, Guzma came out from the Teleport Panel.

"Madam! Are we ready to blow this joint?!" he asked.

"Indeed. Guzma, take care of these children while I prepare for departure. I don't want to hear from them." she said, turning to her computer.

"With pleasure." said Guzma, getting his Poke Balls ready. Gladion however stood out from the group.

"Don't let her get away! Hau, you take on Guzma!" order Gladion.

"W-W-WHA?!" shouted Hau, looking at Guzma who started laughing.

"I'll take care of the Ultra Beast. And Collin, you take care of mother. Stop her from doing any more harm!" he said, rushing towards the Ultra Beast. Lillie walked to to Collin and grabbed a hold of him

"Collin, be careful. She might not look like it, but she is a strong trainer. No one could beat her." she warned. Collin took a hold of her hand and gave it a gentle kiss.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine." he said. He let go of Lillie and stood in front of Lusamine. "Oi, Bitch Queen. You better stop this now, or you will regret it." he warned her. Lusamine let out a long sigh and got away from the computer.

"Must you be such a nuisance? Fine, I'll shut you up myself!"

* * *

"Go Lilligant!"

"Go Empoleon!" Collin realized his mistake too late but being stubborn, he decided to continue his plan. "Okay Empoleon, let's try to make this quick! Metal Claw!" shouted Collin.

"Dodge and use Stun Spore." said Lusamine with no effort in her voice. However it seemed to have worked as Lilligant manged to dodge the Metal Claw and hit Empoleon with the Stun Spore. Empoleon was barely able to move as he tried to get back to Collin's side. "Use Petal Dance." Lilligant sent out a bunch of petals and threw them at Empoleon, which due to the Stun Spore, couldn't dodge and got directly hit by the attack, knocking him out in one move.

"NO! Return!" shouted Collin. "I'm sorry buddy, I wasn't thinking." he said as Empoleon returned to it's ball.

"Return Lilligant." said Lusamine. "Go Clefable." she said and sent out the Pokemon. Collin had a smirk across his face, knowing it was going to be easy.

"Go Salazzle!" Out came Salazzle and it hissed at Clefable. "Use Venoshock!" he shouted. The poison attack came out of Salazzle and managed to hit Clefable directly, injuring it a lot. However, Lusamine didn't look phased.

"Metronome." she said. With a wave of Clefable's fingers, the Metronome turned into the move Psychic and it grabbed a hold of Salazzle and threw her across the room, defeating her.

"Salazzle return!" shouted Collin. He turned to Lusamine, who was grinning like crazy, looking pissed. "You lucky bitch!"

"Luck has nothing to with it. Return Clefable." Clefable returned to the ball, looking proud. "Go Mismagius." When Mismagius came out, Collin was struggling to think. He went for his gut and picked his Pokemon.

"Go Mimikyu!" Mimikyu came out and looked determined to battle. "Use Shadow Claw!" Mimikyu rushed towards Mismagius and attempted to swipe at the Ghost, but missed entirely.

"Power Gem." said Lusamine. Rocks formed around Mismagius and shot at Mimikyu, however it took no damage due to it's Disguise ability.

"Come on Mimikyu, use Shadow Claw again!" Mimikyu charged forward and attempted to swipe again, but again it missed, leaving Mimikyu opened for attack. "Dodge!" shouted Collin.

"Shadow Ball." said Lusamine. Mimikyu attempted to dodge, but it was too late as the dark ball of energy hit Mimikyu directly in it's face and with no Disguise, it took the attack full force and was knocked out. "Return." Mismagius returned it's ball and Lusamine started to laugh.

"Return!" Mimikyu returned to the ball and Collin was stuck. He had only one Pokemon left while Lusamine had her whole team. Not one to back down, he took the gamble and got his last Pokemon ready. "Go Decidueye!" Decidueye came out and stretched its wings, ready for battle. "It's all on you now buddy. Good luck."

"How sweet, you think there is a possibility to win. Too bad for you. Go Milotic!" she said, getting out her final Pokemon Collin hasn't seen. He didn't let his guard down and prepared to attack.

"Use Leaf Blade Decidueye!" shouted Collin. Decidueye's wings sharpened and attempted to cut Milotic, but only managed to hit it's tail, not doing the amount of damage it should have.

"Flail!" shouted Lusamine. Using it's tail, Milotic managed to knock Decidueye back and it landed on the ground. "Now let's end this! HYDRO PUMP!" A large jet of water shot out of Milotic's mouth and was heading towards Decidueye.

"DODGE!" shouted Collin. At the last second, Decidueye manged to dodge the stream of water. However, the water was directly in the path of Collin. His eyes widened and attempted to dodge. But before he could even move, he was flung back by the jet of water and hit the back wall with force, knocking him onto the ground. Everyone saw Collin's impact.

"COLLIN!" shouted everyone, even Guzma.

"HOO-!" cried Decidueye before being attacked by Milotic's tail again, knocking him down. Collin laid on the floor, defeated for the first time in years.

"Heh, and I thought you were going to be a challenge. Guzma, we are ready to go." said Lusamine, walking toward the Ultra Wormhole that the Ultra Beast just went back into.

"Yes Madam." said Guzma, taking one last look at Collin, his face full of regret.

"We shall capture the Ultra Beast, and soon my perfect world will be complete." Both her and Guzma slowly walked into the wormhole, with Lillie giving chase.

"MOTHER NO!" she cried before the wormhole closed, leaving Hau, Gladion, Lillie and Collin all by themselves. She saw Collin slowly get off from the ground, clutching his arm. "Collin! Are you okay?!" she asked.

"I'm fine. I've been through worse. Damn it." he said, taking out Decidueye's Poke Ball and returning it. "Everyone else okay?"

"Y-Y-Yeah. Guzma wiped my team out though." said Hau.

"The Ultra Beast took out Null. He's still not strong enough." said Gladion. Collin signed and sat down onto the floor. He looked forward and noticed something floating on the cage Nebby was in.

"What's that?" asked Collin as he and Lillie slowly walked towards it. The creature was so small you could barely see it.

"Nebby?" said Lillie, but there was no response. "I don't think he's dead. He looks...asleep." she said.

"Well if he's floating about he must be alive." said Collin. "Look can we get out of here? This place gives me the creeps." The group headed towards the teleport panel and exited the room.

* * *

The group ended up back in Lusamine's room. Collin sat down on the bed and began to think about what has happened, when Wicke entered the room.

"Thank goodness you're all okay. I was worried about you." said Wicke. She walked over to Gladion and Lillie and pulled them into a hug. "I'm sorry I couldn't help you two more."

"It's okay Wicke. You did all you could." said Lillie.

"Yeah. It's not your fault." said Gladion. They ended the hug and Gladion took a deep breath. "Any idea what's going on outside?" he asked.

"Thankfully it's not as bad as we predicted." said Wicke, making everyone sigh with relief. "The wormholes did open and Ultra Beasts did come out, but I got word by the Kahunas saying that they managed to hold their own and the Ultra Beasts retreated off somewhere. I doubt they'll be a problem for now." she said, smiling.

"Well at least that's not too bad. But what now?" asked Hau. Collin was about to speak before letting out a yawn.

"Look, it's night time and we've been through a lot. We should get some rest and then figure out what to do in the morning. Sound fair?" The group agreed and they began to relax.

"There are rooms here that you can use, and I'll heal your Pokemon while you rest." said Wicke, taking Hau's, Gladion's and Collin's Pokemon and leaving the room. Hau let out a massive yawn and stretched like he could reach the roof.

"Man I'm gonna sleep like I never slept before tonight. Glad, mind showing me where the rooms are?" he asked. Gladion grumbled his request.

"Fine. You two should rest up too." he said, looking at Collin and Lillie. "Come on you big baby, the rooms are this way." The two left the room, leaving Lillie and Collin on their own.

"I'm gonna sleep on the bed here. It's where me and mother used to sleep on nights I had nightmares." Collin nodded and attempted to get up, only managing to grunt as he fell back down on the bed. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, just a little sore. I'll be fine by tomorrow." he said, getting up again. He was about to leave the room before Lillie grabbed his hand.

"Please...stay with me tonight. I don't want to be alone, not after what happened today." Collin turned around and hugged Lillie, grunting at the pain from the impact still hurt him, but he needed to comfort her.

"Okay." was all he said, before walking over to the bed. Lillie went to one end of the room and pulled out a paper wall to cover herself as she got dressed into her night clothes. Collin decided to keep what he was wearing on aside from his pants, keeping his boxers on. Lillie walked over to the bed and got in, with Collin following. The two looked at each other in silence, before Lillie turned off the light.

"Goodnight Collin." she said, before yawning and closing her eyes. Collin moved a strand of hair that covered her eye back into place and slowly rubbed his thumb across her cheek.

"Night Lillie." With that, Collin closed his eyes and fell asleep. Tomorrow was a big day for them and they had no idea what was in store for them. All Collin knew was that Lillie was safe, and right now that's all that mattered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo that was a blast! So Collin's first defeat eh? How will he recover from that attack? We'll fine out soon enough. Anyway, reviews and comments of any nature are welcomed and as always, I'll see you in the next episode. Cheerio!


	23. New Look, New Island, True Feelings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was another chapter I was looking forward to, and I really hope you enjoy it. It might be a long one though since I have so much to write. But anyways, enjoy!

**Chapter 23-New Look, New Island, True Feelings**

Waking up the next morning, Collin grunted some more as the pain from yesterday seemed to have not gone away just yet. It wasn't as bad, but there was still a lot of pain. The second thing he noticed was Lillie wasn't in the bed, as it looked like her side of the bed was long abandoned. Before he manged to get out himself, the door opened and Wicke appeared.

"Ah, Collin. Glad to see you are up. You're Pokemon are on the desk there once you are ready to leave." she said pointing towards the desk.

"Thanks Wicke. By the way, have you seen Lillie?" he asked.

"Miss Lillie has decided to take a walk around the Paradise. She asked me to tell you to wait outside the Mansion once you are dressed." Wicke walked up to Collin a smiled. "I personally want to thank you for looking after her. She's been through a lot these past few years, but I can see the love that she has in her eyes. Please, continue to protect her."

"No need for the request, I'd protect her before I'd protect myself." he said with confidence.

"Hehe, she's made a good choice. I'll leave you to get dressed." With that, she left the room. Collin spent his time getting new clothes on him since his old ones were destroyed in the Hydro Pump attack. Gone was his black t-shirt and black shorts, now was a plain red shirt with white shorts. He grabbed his Poke Balls and left the room to face the afternoon sun. As he looked off into the waves, someone walked by his side. When he turned, he couldn't believe his eyes.

"What do you think Collin?" she said. She was no longer in her old dress, she was now in the clothes they bought all the way back in Akala. Not only that, but she tied her hair in a ponytail, which completed the look.

"You look...beautiful." was all Collin could say. The complement made Lillie smile, showing her perfect white teeth. With each passing second, she became even more beautiful.

"Thank you so much. I knew the ponytail would fit." she said, now walking up close to Collin. "I feel like I have so much to do now. We have to save Nebby...and save my mother...if that's okay."

"Of course it's okay. She's your mother. I'm sure we can do something." he said, thinking if there is a way to save her.

"I know we can! And this time you won't be the only one who's gonna try their hardest. I'm gonna try my hardest too, with my new Z-Powered Form!" she shouted as she preformed the Normalium Z dance, although it wasn't exactly graceful. Even still, when the dance was finished Collin struggled to prevent a nose bleed. It was too cute. Lillie saw it and couldn't help but giggle. "Well at least I got a positive reaction out of you. Also, I have to say this." She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. "...FUCK!" she cried out and looked around, waiting for someone to yell at her. The only thing that happened was Collin's nose bleeding again due to how cute it was. "Hehe, got that out of my system." Collin managed to clean his nose up just as Gladion came to their side.

"So this is where you are." he said, narrowing his eyes at Collin. "I found this downstairs." He took out a weird looking flute from his back pocket. "This is the Moon Flute, an ancient artifact from Alola's past. With another flute, the Sun Flute, it's said to summon the Legendary Pokemon under the ray of he sun, whatever that means. It's said to be on Poni Island, somewhere. Honestly I don't believe in it."

"Well you better, because this isn't the first time a flute was used to summon a Pokemon. I know, I've tried." said Collin, taking the flute.

"Hmph, if you say so." said Gladion. "The Legendary Pokemon is said to be able to open up a single wormhole. With that, we should be able to get our mother back. I know she's been evil, but she is our mother." Gladion and Lillie sighed at this fact. Gladion's words restated with Collin, as he began to think about his mother and strangely Guzma.

"True. You can't let your family go." said Collin. "So this is the plan; get the Sun Flute, find out where to play it, summon the Legendary Pokemon and get Lusamine and Guzma back."

"Why Guzma?" asked Gladion.

"Because...reasons. Can't have him stuck in there on his own." To save himself from an awkward situation, Hau appeared out of nowhere.

"Hey guys! What's going on?" he asked before turning to Lillie. "Wow! Lillie you look amazing!"

"What?" said Gladion, sounding deadpan.

"By the way Gladion, what are you going to do?" asked Lillie.

"I'm gonna sort things out here. Some people were taking Lusamine's craziness to their advantage to steal Pokemon and other crimes. Someone needs to flush them out." he said, showing a slight grin. "Heh, to think that I'd grow to hate this place, but I'd come back and try to save it. At the very least I can help you two get to Poni Island."

"Thanks Gladion. What about you Hau?" asked Collin.

"Actually, I'm gonna continue the Island Challenge and train up." he said. "I learned something yesterday. I need to get strong because who knows what can happen, and I want to be there to help others and I'm not going to be able to do that if I'm weak. Plus I still have to do the Ghost Trial."

"Oh, fair enough. I guess we better head to Poni Island now before it gets dark." said Lillie. "Gladion, lead the way."

"Good luck everyone!" shouted Hau as Collin, Lillie and Gladion made their way to the docks on Aether Paradise. The three got onto Gladion's boat and they set sail to Poni Island, ready to face the world.

* * *

It was late in the afternoon by the time they arrived on Poni Island. Specifically, Seafolk Village. The village itself was made up of wooden walkways and fishing boats, reminding Collin of a certain small town he visited in Hoenn. The three got off the boat and had a look around.

"Thank you Gladion." said Lillie, but she didn't look happy. "...when you took Null and left Aether two years ago, you left me alone with mother! If it wasn't for Wicke being there, I'd don't know..." she said before being hugged by her brother.

"I'm sorry Lillie. I wish I knew how badly you needed me back then, but all I could think about was Null and getting out. I should have taken you with me. But now, you have your own fight. And with Collin by your side, I know you can do it." he said, smiling at his sister. "Now go find the Kahuna, they should know where to find the Sun Flute."

"Okay. I'll see you later Gladion!" said Lillie, breaking the hug and walking into the village. Before Collin could follow, Gladion grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Listen, Wicke told me that you slept with Lillie." he said in a threaten voice. "Did you do anything to her last night?" Collin knew what he was asking, causing him to accidentally blush.

"N-No. She wanted me to stay with her. Nothing happened last night." Gladion eyed him, not convinced. Collin sighed. "Look, I like her. I really do. But there is no way in hell would I do anything like that to her without her consent. Hell I don't even know if she likes me the same way."

"Fair enough. She seems happy when you are around, so I guess you are okay." he said, before tightening his grip. "But if I find out that you hurt her, in anyway, you'll regret it." Gladion let go of Collin and walked onto his boat and sailed off.

"Fucking protective asshole." he muttered under his breath. He finally joined up with Lillie, who was talking with some trainers. "Hey Lillie, find out anything?"

"Not yet. Seems that no one knows where the Sun Flute is. Maybe the Kahuna is the best bet." she said.

"MAYBE I CAN HELP!" shouted someone. Collin and Lillie looked around to see a man standing on one of the boats.

"Oh my Arceus!" cried Lillie as the man jumped off the boat and walked towards the two.

"Just call me Chief young lady. I here Hapu might know where the Kahuna is. She should be somewhere along the Ancient Poni Path." said Chief

"Oh? Hapu lives here? Thank you so much Chief!" said Lillie.

"Hey no problem. Hope that helped you."

"It did. Thanks Chief." said Collin and the two began to make their way to the Ancient Poni Path after asking some people where it was. Exiting Seafolk Village, they came across some grass land and some trainers. "If you don't mind Lillie, I'm gonna train up my team."

"That's okay! I get so see some up close and personal training too. Great if I want to become a Trainer myself." she said. Collin smiled at how confident Lillie has become now.

"Thanks Lillie." As Collin went off to train, Lillie was more focused on him rather than the actual fights. _I've only known him for a short time, but he's done so much for me. If it wasn't for him, who knows what could have happened to me. I got to tell him somehow._ Her train of thought was cut off when Collin walked up to her.

"Finished already?"

"Yeah, I think they are ready for now. Shall we go find Hapu?" Lillie nodded and the two continued their way to the Ancient Poni Path. Once they got there, they spotted a familiar looking Mudsdale.

"Hello Mudsdale! Glad to see you in fine form." said Lillie, as she walked up to pet the Pokemon, making Hapu turn to face them.

"Ah, been a while since I've met you two!" she said, coming up to the two. "And Lillie, maybe it's just the clothes, but there is something about you that changed. Like I can feel the confidence flowing from you or something."

"Thank you Hapu. I feel like I found my true self!"

"I'm glad. So, what brings you to Poni Island?" she asked.

"We are looking for the Island Kahuna. Any idea where they would be?" asked Collin. The smile on Hapu's face disappeared.

"Sorry, but there isn't a Kahuna here." she said. Lillie's eyes widened once she said that.

"WHAT?!" she shouted. "Oh Collin, now what are we gonna do?" Hapu began to think to herself.

"Hmm...I suppose it's time...yes...after battling that creature too." she muttered to herself. "Tell you what, meet me at the Ruins of Hope. It's just down this pathway. I'll see you two there." She walked off along with Mudsdale.

"I guess we should follow her." said Collin. "Not like we got anything else to go on."

"True. But we must keep moving forward!" said Lillie. The two walked hand in hand, following the path Hapu told them to, to the Ruins of Life.

* * *

As they walked along the path, Collin battle more Pokemon and trainers, leveling up his Pokemon as he went. When they finally reached the entrance to the ruins, Collin had to stop and sit down.

"You okay?" asked Lillie.

"Yeah. I'm still a bit sore from last night." he said, stretching his muscles. "She really gave me a hard time." Lillie looked concerned.

"You said that you faced worse yesterday. What did you mean by that?" she asked. All Collin did was lift up his shirt and Lillie noticed a faint scar that was across his chest that she didn't notice before. "Oh my..." she said, in shock and awe from the scar, and the fact she got to see his naked upper body again. "How did that happen?"

"Happened in Unova. Got hit by some ice spears by Kyurem. Wasn't pretty, I'm surprised it healed this well." he said, pulling the shirt down. "So a Hydro Pump and slamming into the wall is nothing."

"Still, you really should take your time with these things. I don't want you to get even more hurt."

"I promise I won't let it happen again." he said, getting up from the ground. "Ready to go in?"

"Yeah." The two made their way into the ruins. They were quiet apart from the faint sound of someone praying. They walked through the hallway until they came across Hapu, who was praying at some sort of idol. A light came from the idol and Hapu stood up and bowed.

"Thank you for your great blessing. As Kahuna, I swear to protect the people and Pokemon of Alola." she said and finished her prayers.

"What was that all about?" asked Collin, startling Hapu.

"Oh! You two were watching that?" she said as she walked away from the idol and up to Collin and Lillie. "So I've been blessed by Tapu Fini and I'm now the Kahuna of Poni Island." Lillie's eyes lit up.

"That's amazing Hapu! I'm so glad you have become one! You'll be a great Kahuna. I'm sure of it." she said.

"I hope so. My grandfather was the Kahuna here. He was loved and was powerful." she said, frowning. "But he passed away recently and the Island had no Kahuna. But Tapu Fini seems to think that I have the strength to live up to him."

"I'm sure you can Hapu." said Collin. "Just be yourself and you'll be great."

"Thanks Collin. So, is there anything you want to know?" asked Hapu.

"Oh yeah, we need to know how to summon the Legendary Pokemon. Do you happen to have any idea how to do it?" asked Lillie. Hapu began to think about what she was asked.

"Hmm...well the Pokemon you are talking about is Solgaleo. The only way to summon him is with the Sun and Moon Flutes on the Alter of the Sunne." she explained. "May I asked, why do you need to summon Solgaleo?"

"My mother entered the Ultra Wormhole and we need to save her. I hope you understand." said Lillie.

"That explains the creature that Tapu Fini and I fought. Well, if it helps sort this mess out, then count me in." she said, smiling.

"Thank you Hapu. Do you where the Sun Flute is?" asked Collin.

"Well the last time I heard about it was on Exeggutor Island. It's not far from Seafolk Village but you'll need to get their by boat." she said.

"Exeggutor Island? I did read about that place before." said Lillie. "I think we can get there before night fall."

"Then lets not waste any time. Hop onto Mudsdale and we'll get back to Seafolk Village in no time." All three exited the ruins and got onto Mudsdale, who was waiting outside. They road along the path, all the way back to Seafolk Village.

"Right so we need to rent a boat to get to Exeggutor Island right?" asked Collin.

"Yep, Chief should have one. Just ask him and he'll lend you one." said Hapu as the two of them got off Mudsdale.

"Thank you Hapu and thank you Mudsdale." said Lillie, petting Mudsdale.

"That's what friends do Lillie." said Hapu.

"F-Friends? With a trainer like you Hapu?" asked Lillie.

"Of course! Well I best be off. See me tomorrow once you get the Sun Flute. Good luck!" said Hapu and her Mudsdale road off back to the wilds.

"She'll be a great Kahuna." said Lillie.

"Of course she will be. Come on, let's get a boat and we'll get ot Exeggutor Island." They walked to the boat where Chief jumped off when they first met. "Hey Chief!" called Collin.

"Yes? Is there something you need?" he asked.

"Yeah, Hapu said you can lend us a boat to get to Exeggutor Island. Mind if you do that?" he asked.

"Sure, there is a small motorboat is just outside. You do know how to use one right?"

"Yeah. Thanks Chief." The two walked outside and got into the small motorboat. "You ready Lillie?"

"Yes. Fire away!" she said. Collin started the engine and the two set off to Exeggutor Island.

* * *

Dark clouds began to form as Lillie and Collin reached the Island. They tied a rope around a wooden pole and got off the motorboat.

"Phew, I think I'm getting used to being on boats now." said Lillie.

"I'm not." said Collin, trying not to get sick.

"Can I ask, why do you hate boats?" asked Lillie.

"Went on the S.S Anne when it almost sank. Ever since then I hated boats or ships." he confessed.

"Oh that sounds awful. We'll take our time walking through here." Collin nodded as the two slowly walked around the Island. What caught Collin completely by surprised was the size of the Exeggutor on the Island.

"Holy shit look at the size of these things!" he shouted looking up at them. "They're bigger than a house!"

"Why? They not normally this big?" asked Lillie.

"They aren't even half the size!" he said, looking back up at them. Suddenly, a drop of water fell on his face. Within a few seconds, it started to rain down hard. "SHIT! I SHOULD HAVE LOOKED AT THE WEATHER!" shouted Collin.

"THERE'S A CAVE OVER THERE! LET'S TAKE SHELTER!" cried Lillie. The two ran towards the cave, with Collin lagging behind.

"Ow ow ow ow ow!" he cried as he finally reached the cave. "Fuck me I can't run with this pain." he said.

"Sit down and take a break." said Lillie. Collin sat down and took out a towel for him and Lillie to dry themselves. As she dried herself, Collin looked at his phone to see what the weather was going to be like, and it didn't look good.

"Fuck me, it's supposed to be raining all night." he said, showing her the phone. "Guess we are stuck here for the night. I'll get camp set up."

"Okay." Lillie went to the front of the cave and watched the rain fall. When Collin finished setting up a light source and some sleeping area, he joined with Lillie and sat beside her. "You know, this makes me nostalgic." she said.

"Oh? How come?" asked Collin.

"It reminds me when I was little. Remember the movie "Singing in the Rain"?" Collin nodded in response. "I watched that when I was little and I loved it. I loved it so much that when it rained one day, I went outside and danced in it. My mother saw me and I thought she would be angry...but then she smiled...and joined me. We ended up getting a cold that day and we slept in her bed for days."

"Sounds like you and her were close." said Collin. Lillie gave him a small smile and looked back at the rain.

"Yeah." she said. Tears slowly began to flow from her eyes. "I miss her so much. First my father disappeared, then my mother went insane, then Gladion left me. I was so alone, I didn't have anyone. Now with mother in Ultra Space or wherever she is, I'm so scared I'll loose her. Yes she's done terrible things, but she's still my mother. Now...I'm scared I'll loose you too someday." she said, letting the tears flow down her face. Collin wasted no time and cupped her chin, slowly wiping away the tears.

"I know how you feel." he said. "I was close to my mother too. Every time I came home from a long journey, she would make me the best meal ever. She pushed me to become the person I am today. To say I was heartbroken, that's an understatement."

"I'm sorry for your lose Collin." she said, placing her hand oh his cheek. "We got to make sure that we don't loose each other Collin. I don't think I can bare it, not after everything we been through these past few weeks."

"I promise you, nothing will take us away from each other. I'll make sure of that." And with that, he slowly inched his way forward and planted his lips on Lillie's, kissing her. At first, Lillie didn't know what to do or think, but slowly she melted into the kiss. Before she could make any movements of her own, he broke the kiss, making them both breathless.

"W-W-What was that for?" she asked, confused and unsure what the kiss meant.

"To seal the deal." he said with a smirk. Lillie giggled at his snarky remark.

"Can you make sure? Just to be safe?" she said. Collin complied and kissed her again, this time the both of them getting into it. It wasn't exactly the most elegant kiss, it was a bit sloppy at some points, but they didn't care. They were in total bliss right now. Lillie felt more safe than ever before as she sat upon Collin's lap, continuing to kiss him. All good things must come to an end though, as the two broke the kiss to breathe.

"Wow...that...was amazing." he said, breathlessly.

"Yeah." said Lillie, panting like crazy. "Does this mean me and you are...you know..." she said, unable to finish.

"Yeah." responded Collin. "If you want to that is." Lillie responded by wrapping her arms around Collin and pecking him on the lips.

"I thought you'd never asked." she said, smiling. "I can't believe this is happening."

"Same...Arceus you are beautiful."

"You're not so bad yourself." The two laughed at each other and Lillie lay her head on his shoulder. "I wish we could stay like this forever."

"Well we have all night so that's better than nothing." he said. "Wanna talk about anything to pass the time?"

"Yeah. Something has been bugging me." Collin looked at her, with a confused look across his face. "What's the deal with Guzma? You seem to be worried about him. I mean he's in just as much danger as mother, but you look like you didn't care about him back in Malie Garden." Collin took a deep breath.

"Okay...remember when I said Giovanni was my father?" asked Collin.

"Yeah?"

"Well turns out that Guzma is actually my father." he confessed.

"WHAT?! HOW?!"

"He and my mom were together when she lived her. She got pregnant and moved to Kanto when her parents found out. Had me shortly afterwards. They didn't keep in touch from what he told me back in Po Town." he said.

"Wow. So you never knew?" All he did was nod in response. "I guess you want to save him because he's your father huh?"

"I guess. I mean I barely know him but he's family so I'm not gonna leave him."

"You should talk to him when this is all over." she said. "You never know, it might help you in the long run."

"Maybe, I'll wait and see."

"I hope things work out for you." she said. "Can you tell me another story about your journeys? They all sound amazing."

"Sure. Let me think." Collin starred off into the rain and thought about a story to tell Lillie. "Did I tell you about the time I went into space?" Lillie looked at him like she got slapped across the face.

"Collin, I think I would remember the time you told me you went to space." she said with a deadpan voice. "How in the name of Arceus did you get into space?"

"Well, it's a long story." Collin began to tell Lillie all about how he went into space, sparing no detail untouched. By the time he was finished, it was nighttime and both of them were tired.

"Gee, you're amazing Collin." she yawned out. "I don't know about you, but I could sleep for a year."

"Well I hope you don't, we have a lot to do tomorrow." he said. He wrapped his arms around her body and lifted her up bridal style over to the sleeping area.

"You know I can walk right?"

"Yeah but I wanted to be romantic." he said, laying her down onto the blanket.

"Well I can certainly say, it was quite romantic." she said, giggling as he lay beside her. "Collin, are you sure you want to be with me?"

"It's not even up for debate. Of course I do." he said, cupping her cheek. "You're smart, beautiful, funny, caring and everything in between. You're perfect." he said. Lillie could help but blush and kissed him again. It didn't last as long as the one before, but it felt so much better. She broke the kiss and snuggled up to him.

"I know it's obvious at this point, but I love you. I can't believe this is actually happening." she confessed. "I feel like when I close my eyes, this is all going to be a dream."

"Well I hope not, because I love you too. More than anything right now." he said, kissing her forehead. "And nothing will get in the way of that." He let out a sudden yawn, which made Lillie yawn as well. "I guess we better get some sleep now."

"Yeah." Lillie closed her eyes before she whispered, "Goodnight Collin. I love you."

"Love you too, sweet dreams." The two fell asleep in each others arms. Collin couldn't believe that after all this time, he's finally with the girl of his dreams. Now with her on his side, there was nothing but light at the end of the tunnel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man! So how what that eh? Confession done okay? I hope so. Honestly I'm scared of the reactions to this. Anyway I'll be taking a break this time, since I'll be busy tomorrow. But as always reviews and comments of any nature are welcomed and as always, I'll see you in the next chapter. Cheerio!


	24. The Final Grand Trial

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After that break, Collin will face the final Grand Trial before he is deemed worthy to travel into the Vast Poni Canyon. Can he beat the Trial?..........maybe. Enjoy!

**Chapter 24-The Final Grand Trial**

Waking up on the rocky surface, Lillie couldn't help but noticed that her head was resting on Collin's chest. At first she didn't understand how, but soon the memories came back and a smile formed on her face. Sighing in content, she lay her head back down on his chest, as he opened his eyes.

"Morning beautiful." he said with a groggy voice.

"Morning." she replied, stretching her body. "I guess last night wasn't a dream." Collin responded by giving her a quick peck on the lips.

"I think it's safe to assume that it wasn't." He let out a loud yawn and slowly got up, grabbing Lillie's hand to pull her up too. "Come on, we better get that Sun Flute, wherever it is."

"Okay, lets do it!" she said. They packed up their things and made their way out of the small cave, greeted by the morning Alola sun. "It's weird."

"What's weird?"

"This is the first time I've ever slept in my day clothes." she said, checking out her outfit. "I don't know why, but it feels.....refreshing and free."

"Guess being cooped up in a place like Aether would do that to you." He looked at her and aside from her hair being a bit messy, she looked amazing all the same, in his eyes of course. "You wanna get used to it though if you want to be a trainer."

"I'm sure I will!" The two finally made their way around the small Island, walking up a hill and spotting a pedestal with something inside a small gap. "Is that....?"

"The Sun Flute." said Collin walking towards the pedestal and slowly taking the flute out of it. "Arceus, if I've known the flute wasn't far we could have got it yesterday."

"True, but we'd miss out on a romantic moment." said Lillie, sighing about the memory.

"Heh, I guess so. Let's get off this Island and get to Hapu." Grabbing her hand, the two made their way back to the motorboat and departed from the Island. They road the waves slowly and finally docked back in Seafolk Village, where they were greeted by Chief.

"I see you two finally came back." he said as Collin tied the boat to the pole. "I assume the weather kept you there last night."

"Yeah. It wasn't too bad and we got what we came for." said Lillie just as Collin joined up with her.

"Good. If you ever need to rent a boat, come and find me and I'll happily lend you one." he said as he was about to walk away, but turned around to face them again. "Oh by the way, Hapu said to join her in the Vast Poni Canyon. Follow the signs and you should be able to find it."

"Thanks Chief. And thanks for the boat." said Collin and the two waved him off and made their way to Vast Poni Canyon.

* * *

They followed the path that lead them to Hapu's house, but instead of taking the right, they went up the path that brought them to the Canyon. However, their way wasn't so smooth, as Team Skull grunts blocked the way.

"Ayo! This is the fool who beat the boss!" said one of the grunts to the rest of them.

"He thinks he's so tough!" said another one.

"He couldn't survive a beat down by all of us!"

"Yeah! Let's get him all at once!"

"You're gonna be sorry for dissing Team Skull all this time!" The group of grunts slowly made their way towards Lillie and Collin, but Collin wasn't phased.

"Pfft. I can take on one of you with my eyes closed. Five? I'd need to put in minimum effort!" he said, laughing. This pissed the grunts off.

"OH YEAH?! WELL WE'LL AVENGE THE BOSS BY BEATIN' YOU DOWN! READY EVERYONE?!"

"YEAH!" shouted the grunts and they got their Poke Balls out.

"YOU DUMMIES!" shouted a voice. Whoever it was, it made the grunts stop. "They are trying to save the Boss. All you are doing is getting in their way!" Out of the shadows came Plumeria, walking past Collin and Lillie and talked with the grunts, which included a lot of berating and cursing. The grunts scrambled off, leaving only the three on their own.

"T-T-Thanks Plumeria." said Lillie.

"Lillie right?" said Plumeria, walking up to the two.

"You're not here to kidnap her again. Right?" said Collin, a hint of venom in his voice. All Plumeria did was sigh.

"Listen, I shouldn't have done that. I was following orders, even if they were wrong. I shouldn't have done that. Even if I apologized, I doubt you'd forgive me." she said, looking away from them.

"I forgive you." said Lillie. "You had no choice. I understand that and I forgive you. Really. It's my mother who is selfish. She only loves those who she believes are worthy, not caring if it's wanted or not. But she's my mother and I can't let her stay in there.

"Heh, you really are like your mother. Not exactly the same, but you have the same strength as her." Lillie looked embarrassed by the comparison, while Plumeria turned her attention to Collin. "Guzma.....he likes the President. She was the only adult to see how strong he is."

"People don't see him as strong? I mean, he did almost take me down the first time we met." said Collin.

"Yeah. Collin, Lillie, I know you probably don't want to.....but please save Guzma. He doesn't show it, but Alola means a lot to him. I don't think it would be the same without him." Collin looked away for a moment, thinking about Guzma.

"I mean, that was the plan. I may not know him much, but he is family." he said. Plumeria raised an eyebrow for a second, until she realized what he meant.

"Should have seen my face when he told me you were his son. I think he wants to be apart of your life. Please, for his sake and yours, have him try." she said, almost sounding like begging.

"I guess I could. But he's gonna have to make up for all those years." Lillie held Collin's hand and slowly rubbed her thumb across his knuckles.

"Please Collin, when this is all over, open up to him. You never know, he might be way better than Giovanni." she said. Collin turned to her and she gave a warm smile.

"I hope you're right." he said. "I guess we better get going, no point wasting any more time." The two began to walk off before Plumeria stopped him.

"Wait, take this Poisonium Z. It might help you.....or not. Your choice. That Z-Ring is special, you're special. You are a Trainer. And a Trainer is only a Trainer when they have Pokemon that care for them by their side. Don't forget that, or I'll rain Tapu's wrath on you." she said with a smirk across her face.

"I'll be sure not to."

"You better. I'm off." she said walking away. Just before she left completely, she turned around. "Thank you." she said, before disappearing from their line of sight. Lillie turned to Collin and smiled.

"I guess Team Skull isn't all that bad." she said. "You gonna try and patch things up with Guzma?"

"I'll try. Come on, we better not keep Hapu waiting." The two followed the path and made their way into Vast Poni Canyon

* * *

When they entered the Canyon, they were amazed by the size of it. It felt apposing and unable to be scaled, even though there was a path leading into the cave. Before the cave itself, they saw a massive tree that had no leafs on it and at the base, stood Hapu, waiting. The two wasted no time and walked up to her.

"Did you get the flute?" asked Hapu.

"Yes we did. But we kinda needed to camp out on the Island, it rained while we were there." said Lillie. Hapu studied the two of them and noticed that they were holding hands, tightly. She smiled as she realized what it meant.

"Heh, judging by your hands, I guess it was good it rained." she said with smirk. Collin and Lillie were confused at first, until they looked at their hands and blushed. "Great that you two finally got together. I could see the love in your eyes the first time I saw you two. We all need someone to help us. Same goes for Pokemon. At least that's what my grandfather told me."

"Ahem." coughed Collin, still blushing. "So, what is it that you wanted us for?"

"Well I am a Kahuna now. And because there isn't really any Trial here, you now have to face me!" she said with gusto. "I may be young, but I will not be outdone by the other Kahunas. My Mudsdale and the rest of my team are just as strong as ever!"

"You're really fired up. I like it!" said Collin, smiling.

"Of course I am, this is my first Grand Trial, same as your Final Grand Trial. You will face me, won't you?" she asked.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world. My team is ready whenever you are." he said. Before they started, Lillie kissed him hard, making him breathless.

"Good luck, I'll be rooting for you all the way." she said. She moved out of the way to give them space.

"Ahaha, young love. I'd love to see how well you battle, the battle that makes Lillie smile so." she said before taken a deep breath. "I am Kahuna Hapu, and with my new Z-Ring given to me by the Tapu of this Island, I challenge you to a battle!"

"Bring it Kahuna. Don't hold back!" said Collin, getting his Poke Ball ready.

"A Kahuna never backs down! I'll give you everything I got!"

* * *

"GO DUGTRIO!" shouted Hapu, throwing out her Pokemon.

"GO EMPOLEON!" Empoleon came out of it's ball and sharpened it's wings, ready to battle. "Let's start this off right! Use Aqua Jet!" Empoleon was covered in water and rushed towards Dugtrio, who failed to dodge the attack.

"Use Sandstorm!" shouted Hapu. The battle field was covered by a large sandstorm, making it almost impossible for Empoleon to see. "Now use Iron Head!" she shouted. Dugtrio digged underground and came right from under Empoleon, with a head of pure steel. The attack sent Empoleon flying in the air, however Collin didn't look phased.

"Come on buddy." he said to himself. When Empoleon came back down, instead of landing face first, he landed back onto his feet, ready to battle. "YEAH! USE AQUA JET AGAIN!" he shouted. With the water surrounding him, Empoleon managed to burst through the sandstorm and hit Dugtrio, knocking him out.

"Return! I'm impressed Collin." said Hapu as Dugtrio returned to the ball. "Let's see more of that strength. GO GASTRODON!" she shouted as the slug Pokemon came out of the ball.

"Heh, I had a Gastrodon back in Sinnoh. I know exactly what to do with you." he said, returning Empoleon to it's ball. "GO DECIDUEYE!" Out came the bird Pokemon, rubbing the side of it's wings as if it was a bow. "Let's make this hard. Spirit Shackle!" he shouted. Decidueye pulled back it's wings and used an arrow to shoot Gastrodon, damaging it and preventing it from returning.

"Oof, playing hard huh? Mud Bomb!" shouted Hapu. Collin was caught off guard when Decidueye was hit by the ground type move, until he remembered.

"Oh yeah, Ghost Type......sorry Decidueye!" said Collin.

"Koo!" cried Decidueye, cleaning the mud off it's wings.

"Ahahah! Your cockiness is getting the better of you! Muddy Water!" A wave of water covered in dirt rushed towards Decidueye.

"DODGE!" shouted Collin. At the last moment before the wave hit him, Decidueye dodged the wave. It finished just before it could hit Collin or Lillie. "Phew. Okay, Leaf Blade!" Decidueye rushed towards Gastrodon with it's sharpened wings, slicing at the Pokemon and knocking it out in one hit.

"Return." said Hapu and Gastrodon returned to it's ball. "Go Mudsdale! shouted Hapu and her Pokemon came to her side, ready to battle. "This is my last Pokemon, and it won't be easy!" she said.

"We'll see about that. Decidueye, Leaf Blade again!"

"Earthquake!" shouted Hapu. The ground began to shake, which put Decidueye off balance and failed to attack. "Now's our chance! UNLEASH Z MOVE!" She twisted the Z-Crystal and preformed the dance that hand her hand on the ground, looking like she was ready to attack. The aura surrounded Mudsdale and was ready to attack. "TECTONIC RAGE!" Without warning, the ground opened up from under Decidueye and he fell in. Mudsdale dug underground and rushed towards the Pokemon, causing a large explosion to happen. When the smoke cleared, Decidueye was back on the surface, fainted.

"Return!" shouted Collin. "Woo boy that was some Z Move." he said, looking at Hapu who looked tired.

"I-I wasn't expecting that." she said, breathlessly. Collin took this time to get his Poke Ball ready. "GO EMPOLEON!" Empoleon came out of the ball, confused. "I know you want to rest, but it will be quick! Trust me!"

"Empoleon!" cried the Pokemon, ready to battle.

"Okay, Metal Claw!" he shouted, as Empoleon sharpened his wings and rushed towards Mudsdale.

"D-Double Kick!" stuttered Hapu, still tired from the Z Move. Mudsdale used it's two back legs to attempt to kick Empoleon, however it was tired from the Z Move as well and missed the kicks, allowing Empoleon to hit it with Metal Claw.

"Nice! Okay, get ready!" said Collin as Empoleon came back to his side. "UNLEASH Z MOVE!" Collin twisted the Steelium Z and pounded his fists together. Aura surrounded Empoleon and was ready to attack. "USE CORKSCREW CRASH!" Empoleon jumped into the air and began to spin rapidly, so fast in fact it was like a bullet. The spinning Pokemon rushed towards Mudsdale and clashed with him, sending it flying into the back wall, where it fainted. "YES! Well done Empoleon! Return." Empoleon returned to the ball, proud.

"Return Mudsdale." said Hapu, slowly getting up. "Man, those Z Moves take a lot out of you." she said, sitting down on a rock.

"Trust me, I know." said Collin, walking up to her. Lillie followed behind, giggling.

"He fainted after doing his first Z Move." she said.

"Thanks Lillie." he murmured, still smiling at the little jab. "You'll get used to it though."

"I hope so. Still, you one fair and square and with that, you've beaten the last Grand Trial!" she said. "As a reward, here is the Groundium Z." She walked up to Collin and handed him the Z-Crystal. "Also, this is how you activate it." She preformed the dance that she did during the fight.

"Thanks Hapu. You really did great for your first battle as a Kahuna." said Collin.

"Yeah! It was an amazing fight! I hope to have a fight like that someday." said Lillie, smiling. Hapu began to blush at the praise she was getting.

"Oh you guys." she said. "Lillie, you picked a great Trainer to be with." Lillie looked at Collin and smiled.

"Yeah, I'm lucky I have him by my side. But one day, I want to battle you when I have my own Pokemon! That goes for you too Hapu!" she said with confidence. Collin couldn't help but land a kiss on her lips.

"That the spirit! And I'll look forward to the battle!" he said

"Same for me! It's gonna be great!" Hapu looked at the entrance to the cave and sighed. "Welp, the only way to get to the Alter of the Sunne is through that cave. You'll find other trainers and Pokemon along that path, so it's gonna be tough. But I think you guys can managed. And if you need any help, give me a call and Mudsdale and I will come to help."

"Thank you Hapu." said Lillie before running off to the entrance. "Come on Collin! Let's get going!" she said. Collin chuckled and walked towards her.

"She's got the spirit of adventure in her already." he said under his breath, as the two walked into the entrance of the cave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not as long as before, but I hope you enjoyed it all the same. Reviews and comments of any nature are welcomed and as always, I'll see you in the next chapter. Cheerio!


	25. Sun Trekkin Across the Canyon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Into the Vast Poni Canyon we go. Will Collin and Lillie make it through? What will they come across? Find out in today's chapter! Enjoy!

**Chapter 25-Sun Trekkin Across the Canyon**

As Hapu mentioned, the cave was full of Trainers and Pokemon, which was perfect for Collin, wanting to train his Pokemon for the worse case scenario. They walked through the cave, hand in hand. Lillie started to lag behind slightly and Collin noticed.

"Wanna take a small break?" he asked.

"Yeah, my legs are tired." she said and sat on a rock. "Phew, I guess this is good practice when I start my own journey."

"That's the way to look at it. You gonna do the Island Challenge?"

"Of course! Once I get my first Pokemon, I wanna do the Island Challenge." she said with her eyes lighting up. "They sound so much fun by the way you and Hau talk about them. Speaking of Hau, I wonder how he handled the Ghost Trial?"

"Probably better than me that's for sure." said Collin, shuddering at the thought.

"Why? What happened?" she asked. Collin took a deep breath and thought carefully what to say.

"You know how much I hate Ghost Pokemon right?" Lillie nodded in response. "When I went in there, I was scared to death by some of them. That's not the worse part. I saw the ghost of my mom."

"How? She didn't die in Alola right?"

"It was the Totem Mimikyu that was messing with my head. I asked Acerola about it and she didn't have an answer. All she said was that Mimikyu doesn't do that." he said, rubbing his face. ".....am I crazy?"

"I don't think so. I mean.....maybe Mimikyu's actually do that? Who knows." said Lillie as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "One thing is for sure, you aren't crazy." She pulled him into a hug, which of course he accepted.

"Thank you Lillie." They finished the hug and Collin slowly got up. "You ready to walk again?"

"Yep! We are gonna power though this Canyon no problem!" she said, jumping to her feet and the two walked along the path. They walked the path, after battling more Trainers and Pokemon, they finally got outside. The cool breeze felt refreshing compared to the dampness of the cave. They were extremely high up so they walked carefully, until they came across a bridge.

"Yeesh this place is steep. I didn't expect to be going this high up." said Collin, looking down to the ground. "I think I see Hapu!" he cried and waved down to the Kahuna, who waved back. "Lillie, come wave at Hapu!" Lillie however, didn't move. "You okay?" he asked, going up to her.

"Yeah.....I'm fine. I'm just trying to prepare myself." she said. She slowly walked over to the edge and looked down. She saw Hapu and quickly waved, before looking back up and breathing heavily. "Oh Arceus!" she said.

"What's wrong? Not big on heights?"

"Y-Y-Yeah.....it's kinda the reason why I didn't save Nebby on my own back in Iki Town.......aside from having no Pokemon." she confessed.

"Nothing to be ashamed about." he said. "If you want, I can carry you over." He attempted to lift her up but a sudden pain shot through him. "Ow! Fuck!" he screamed and fell to the ground. "Shit, guess I'm not fully healed. Sorry." Lillie stood up and shook her head.

"I would have said no anyway." she said. "If I'm ever to become a Trainer, I need to get over my fears. Now is the time I do that." She slowly walked over to the edge of the bridge and took a deep breath. "Watch me Collin! This is my first ever Trial!" She began to preform the Normalium Z dance, the same one she did back in Aether, which Collin found too cute. With another deep breath, she began to run across the bridge. She got half way there, when a flock of Murkrow flew down and blocked her path. She looked behind her and there was another two Murkrow blocking her from turning back.

"Lillie!" cried Collin, ready to get his Pokemon out to protect her. Suddenly, she put her hand behind her, as if to say to not help her. He kept a ball in his hand just be sure. "Come on baby.....you can do it." he muttered under his voice. With one final breath, she rushed across the bridge, ignoring the Murkrow and made it to the other side. It took her a second to realize what she did and she jumped in the air.

"I DID IT! I BEAT MY FIRST TRIAL!" she cheered. Collin walked across the bridge, clapping all the way and shooing the Murkrow off. "I completed my first Trial!" she said as he made it across. "Amazing right?"

"More than amazing." He said, scooping her up in his arms and kissing her. It wasn't long though, as the pain attacked him again. "Arceus! I swear you think I was an old man with this."

"Hehe, you're good looking for an old man." she said. This made Collin blush and began to stammer. "Come on old man, lets get going." She took his hand and dragged him into another cave entrance.

"You're gonna kill me one of these days I swear." he said out loud, getting a giggle out Lille as a response.

* * *

They continued their way through the caves, fighting more and more Trainers and Pokemon. Thankfully, Lillie was healing Collin's team so there was no problem with them getting tired. During this time, something came in Collin's mind.

"How's Nebby doing?" he asked. Lillie looked at her bag and sighed.

"Still nothing. I'm glad he's alive, but he hasn't moved at all since Aether. I miss him trying to get out of the bag." she said.

"Heh, never thought I hear you say that."

"I know but still, I hope we find a way to bring him back to his old self." She began to let out a slow laugh. "I guess I really am a mother to him........making you his dad."

"Well I was the one who came up with the idea." he said, laughing too. "He really was like a baby. Don't worry though, we'll get him back to normal soon enough." He pulled her close to comfort her.

"Yeah, we will." Collin loved how confident she has become ever since Aether. Gone was the shy timid Lillie, and was replaced with an adventurous, confident Lillie. "We can't be far now, let's pick up the pace!" she said and they walked out of another cave exit and into the fresh air. They came across another bridge and on it was a woman, who turned to face them.

"HOLD! HOLD THAT POSE!" she said. Collin and Lillie stood still, with Collin's arm wrapped around Lillie. The woman got out her sketch book and began to draw super fast, he swore he saw smoke coming off the pencil. "Now that's a great composition!" she said, holding the sketch up. While it wasn't highly detailed, it was a good pic for how quick it was.

"Wow! That's amazing!" said Lillie, awestruck by the sketch. "I can see me and Collin perfectly!"

"Thanks! You can keep it if you want." said the woman.

"How much is it?" asked Collin, getting his wallet out before the woman put her hand up.

"Oh no need to pay. You coming here and giving me inspiration is good enough!" she said, taking the picture out of the sketch book and handing it to Lillie.

"Thank you so much Miss......?"

"Oh where are my manners! Name is Mina. And I'm a Trial Captain........of sorts." she said looking away.

"What do you mean by that?" asked Collin.

"Well I've been made a Trial Captain not that long ago, but so far I haven't really come up with a Trial. I need more time." she said, but smiled. "Thankfully, Alola is pretty laid back so I'm not in any rush. Still, I want to get this done before the end of the year."

"I'm sure something will come to mind soon." said Collin.

"You're right." she said, then noticed the Z-Ring on his wrist. "Oh! While we are here and there is no Trial, let me give you this." She handed Collin a Z-Crystal. "This is the Fairium Z. Allow me to preform the dance." Mina stood back and began to preform the dance, which ended with her standing on one leg and her arms out by her side.

"Thanks Mina." said Collin. "Hate to do this, but we need to get going."

"Yes, I've delayed you long enough. I should go off and think about a Trial......maybe if it involved flowers.......wouldn't that be cool?" she asked.

"I think it would be!" said Lillie. "I want to start my Island Challenge soon and I hope I get to try your Trial." Mina couldn't help but let out a small laugh.

"Well I better make a move on then. I'll see you later! Alola, Alola!" she said as she walked passed them and into the cave.

"What was that? Why did she say Alola twice?" asked Collin.

"Oh......well you know how people say Alola as a greeting?" said Lillie.

"Yeah?"

"Well it can also mean goodbye. It's not said as often, but people do say it."

"Interesting." said Collin. "Still, I hope she does come up with a Trial soon."

"Same. Shall we keep going? We must be close to the end." said Lillie. The two walked across the bridge and pass some tall grass. When they were back on low ground, there was a line of Trainers in the way.

"Better take care of this. Watch and learn Lillie." said Collin and began to fight the Trainers with his Pokemon. Within ten minutes, the pathway was clear. "Phew, that was some training. But my team feels much stronger now."

"That's great! Allow me to heal them." She took his Pokemon and slowly healed them. "There we go, all better." They continued to walk the path when they reached another cave entrance, this time with the familiar Trial Totems on the outside. "This must be a Trial." she said.

"I guess so. But we haven't seen a Captain....." said Collin, looking around. "Guess we should go in anyway." The two walking into the cave, wondering what was going to face them.

* * *

The first thing Collin noticed was a small stone tablet off to the side. He walked over to it and tried to make out the words. It said;

_Ahead lies a sacred ground of trials. None who do not take part in its trials will be allowed to walk upon this earth. Those lacking courage to defeat the totem guarding this land will be denied entry. But those who believe in their Pokemon and walk beside them shall gain great power!_

"Great......one of THOSE things." said Collin, sounding annoyed.

"What do you mean?" asked Lillie.

"Basically I have to do this to allow us to pass through. Problem is, we have no idea what the Trial is about." he said. "I hate riddles like this. Don't get me started on the Regi Trio back in Hoenn." Normally, people would be shocked about this, but after hearing so many stories, Lillie accepted it.

"Must have been a challenge huh?"

"I'll tell you later. Lets get this Trial over with so we can get to the Altar." As Collin walked forward, he began to hear low rumblings coming from deeper in the cave. Suddenly, a Pokemon jumped right out in front of Collin and was ready to fight. Within minutes, the Pokemon was defeated. "What Pokemon was that?"

"That was Jangmo-o. It's a Dragon Type Pokemon. They are said to be very strong." said Lillie.

"Great, another strong Dragon Type. As if I've not seen enough of them." sighed Collin. "Well looks like Mimikyu got his work cut out for him." The two continued their way through the cave when another Pokemon attacked Collin, looking taller and standing upright, which was once again easily defeated. "I'm gonna take a wild guess and assume that the Totem Pokemon is the fully evolved version of Jangmo-o." he said with a deadpan voice, making Lillie laugh.

"Oh, I won't wonder what made you think of that?" she said, stilling laughing.

"A hunch. At least Mimikyu will make it easy for me." They got to a small statue with a hole in it, containing a Z-Crystal. Learning from his mistake back in the Normal Trial, Collin waited for the Totem Pokemon to appear. A loud shaking sound could be heard and then suddenly, the Totem Pokemon crashed down onto the ground right in front of the couple. "Lillie, what's the name of the Pokemon."

"I think it's Kommo-o if I remember. Be careful Collin, this Pokemon is said to be strong, even when not in Totem size." she warned.

"Ah don't worry. GO MIMIKYU!" he shouted. Mimikyu came out and prepared to fight. "Play Rough!" he cried and Mimikyu rushed towards the Kommo-o and rapidly attacked the Pokemon. Kommo-o got annoyed and used Flash Cannon on the Pokemon, however nothing happened due to Mimikyu's ability.

"KOMO?!" cried the Pokemon in confusion.

"Heh, thought this was going to be easy? Too bad for you. UNLEASH Z-MOVE!" shouted Collin as he twisted the Fairium Z and preformed the dance that Mina showed him, much to his embarrassment. "USE TWINKLE TACKLE!" The battle field became extremely pink and Kommo-o was floating, still confused. Mimikyu floated up in the air and looked like it began to toy with the Totem Pokemon, before giving it a strong tackle that sent the Pokemon flying into the ground, knocking it out completely. Collin finished the Trial in record time.

"Wow.....that was......rather underwhelming." said Lillie. "It sounded like it was going to be difficult but then... I don't know. I was expecting more, I guess." She sounded disappointed. "But still, congratulations!"

"The way they built this all up made it sound epic and hard but.......it was actually boring. But thanks Lillie. I bet it has to do with the fact that I did use a Z-Move." he said, justifying how quick it was. "I mean if Mina didn't give me this, more than likely it would have been harder. On the plus side, we don't have to waste more time getting to the Alter."

"True." she said, taking a deep breath. "I'm so nervous, but we got to do it. For mother and Guzma." she said, showing a brave face."

"Yeah. Come on, lets get going." After picking up his Dragonium Z, the two walked hand in hand out of the Trial, and moved forward into the Altar of the Sunne.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today's chapter might not be the best. I'll be taking another break. Sorry but something personal happened and I need time to think about a few things. I hope you understand. Reviews and comments of any nature are welcomed and as always, I'll see you in the next chapter. Cheerio!


	26. Ultra Conflict

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we go! It's time for Ultra Space lads and lassies. Can Lillie and Collin bring back Nebby? Can they save Lusamine and Guzma? Find out today in this chapter! Enjoy!

**Chapter 26-Ultra Conflict**

Greeting the couple when they exited the Trial was a long set of stairs, leading up to their goal. The Altar of the Sunne. Just before they began to walk up, Lillie remembered something important.

"OH! Collin do yo realize what you done?!" she said, looking excited. Collin looked at her with confusion all across his face.

"Um........can't say I do." he said.

"You've just beaten all seven Trials of Alola AND defeated all Kahunas! You're now an Island Champion!" she said, bouncing up and down while grabbing a hold of his hands. "I'm so happy for you!"

"Thank you Lillie, I honestly forgot." He let her hands down and she stopped. "But there are more important things that need to be done now, so we can't waste any more time."

"Right." she said, looking serous. "It's now or never. Let's go!" The two slowly walked up the stairs, which began to tire Lillie out a lot. "Oh.....my......Arceus...."

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah......I just didn't think....." she panted. "....that there would be this.....many stairs....."

"Heh, try climbing up a mountain peak, then we'll talk about how hard it is to climb something." he said with a hint of snark. Lillie stuck her tongue out in protest as they continued to trek up the stairs. By the time they reached the top, Lillie practically collapsed on the ground in a huff.

"Remind me to not skip leg day when I go on my own journey." she said, getting up from the ground to look at her surroundings. In front of them was a large tower like structure that bared a symbol that looked like the sun. On each side stood two more towers, one with the same symbol on the large tower, the other having a symbol that looked like the moon. "So.......this is where we need to play the flutes.....where we summon the legendary Pokemon.....I'm getting goosebumps thinking about it."

"Yeah, it feels like there is some weird energy coming from around here." said Collin, looking around the area. "Now........what do we do exactly." He looked around carefully to see if there was any way to find out what to do. However, it was Lillie that spotted something.

"Collin! Look at this!" she called. Collin walked to the middle of the Altar, and saw her looking at a stone tablet. The tablet detailed two figures standing opposite sides of each other, holding what looked like flutes. Above them was what looked like music notes. It clicked for Collin.

"Damn.....can you read music?" he asked Lillie.

"Yeah. Can you?"

"Barely. I haven't done much in lessons." he said, reading over the notes. "The last time I had to use a flute I just had to hold it in the air and it played itself." he said, looking over the notes once more. "But it looks simple, so it should be no problem.

"Okay. So what do we do?" she asked.

"Well I assume each one of us takes a flute and stands over where the corresponding flute should be and play the song at the same time." he explained. "Sounds simple enough. You ready?"

"Yeah. Nebby, Collin......I'm gonna make my mother wake up and see reason. I'm gonna make her hear me....I'm going to tell her how I feel! Even if I'm not a Trainer, I can still do so much!" she called out to the world.

"I couldn't agree more." said Collin, giving her a quick peck on the forehead. "I'll take the Sun Flute, you take the Moon Flute." he said, taking out the flutes from his back and handing the Moon Flute to Lillie. "Okay, let's get into position."

"Right!" And with that, Collin and Lillie walked to their respective towers with their flutes in hand. With one final preparation, the two nodded at each other showing they were ready to play. With one final internal countdown, the two began to play their flutes in harmony. The music from the flutes sounded magical, almost like it was made by a full blown orchestra. When the music was finished, there was a low rumble that increased in strength. Suddenly, light began to form under from the panels they were both standing on and they followed along the path along the large tower until it completely covered it, making it glow. The symbol began to part ways and from the inside came a powerful multicoloured beam of light that shined down onto the middle platform. Amazed by the sight, Lillie didn't noticed that her bag began to shake until it flew off her.

"NEBBY!" cried Collin as he saw the bag float towards the beam of light. The bag opened up to reveal the small Pokemon, floating in midair until a blinding light covered it's whole body. When the light faded, a loud roar could be heard when a massive Pokemon towering over Collin and Lillie appeared from the beam of light. The Pokemon landed onto the ground and let out another mighty roar, before sitting down and purring slightly while looking at Lillie and Collin. It took a few moments for it to dawn on the experienced Trainer to realize what just happened. "No way.........it can't be....."

"NEBBY!" cried Lillie as she ran to hug the white lion looking Pokemon. "....sorry, Solgaleo..." she said before trying to back out of her hug. It wasn't until Nebby gave her a light lick across her hair, showing that it was alright. She looked at the Legendary Pokemon, with tears in her eyes. "Oh Nebby, you had us so worried!" she said and hugged the Pokemon again. Collin walked up to Nebby, his eyes wide and mouth agape.

"I've traveled through many regions and faced countless of Legendary Pokemon........but this.....this is something else." he said, walking up to Nebby and began to pet him. "Who knew you were carrying a Legendary Pokemon all this time!"

"In all my research, I never come across anything like this myself." They continued to pet the Pokemon before Lillie backed away for a bit. "Nebby, please. We need to save my mother and Guzma. You are the only one who can help us. Please." she begged.

"LA-LONNNNA!!" roared Nebby and he lowered himself, allowing Collin and Lillie to get on his back.

"You got this Nebby!" said Collin, rubbing his back.

"You can do it! Let's save mother!" cried Lillie.

"LA-LONNNA!!" roared Nebby and he shot a white beam from his mouth, opening an Ultra Wormhole. With one massive sprint, the Legendary Pokemon, Collin and Lillie, traveled through the Ultra Wormhole as it closed behind them.

* * *

With a flash of light Collin, Lillie and Nebby entered a new world. The whole place was devoid of light, aside from the little glow of Ultra Beasts floating in the air. Lillie looked around and was amazed.

"It's.....much more beautiful than I imaged. But the air is so thick! I feel like I can't breath!" she said as she took a deep breath. "You can feel it too right?"

"Yeah, it's as if we are underwater.....which makes sense considering what the Ultra Beasts here look like." said Collin as they looked at the Ultra Beasts floating above them, which seemed to not pay attention to the couple. "You okay?" he asked Lillie.

"Yeah....it's just....overwhelming. Like I don't know if I should be scared, or amazed." she said, continuing to look around. "....are the Ultra Beasts even Pokemon?" she asked randomly.

"I guess. When I fought one in Aether, it used moves that Pokemon would use themselves." said Collin. "I guess they are just the common Pokemon from this world."

"Yeah. Let's go and find mother and Guzma." said Lillie as she began to walk.

"La-Lonna!" roared Nebby. He was letting off a white glow the lit up the pathway that Collin and Lillie were to follow.

"You need to stay here?" asked Lillie, which Nebby responded with a nod. "Okay, thank you Nebby for helping us." she said, petting his head. "I'm grateful for what you have done."

"WE are grateful." said Collin, holding Lillie to his side. "Come on, let's get going. We don't want to be here longer than we should." With that, the couple walked down the path. The more they walked, the more Ultra Beasts they saw. They seemed to float above them aimlessly, as if they had no direction. "I just noticed something." he said, stopping for a second.

"What is it?" asked Lillie.

"We are in a trench. See?" he said pointing tot he sky. Sure enough, the was a massive crack that shot across the sky, showing bight stars. "Who knows what kind of world we are in if this is just one part of it."

"Oh Gosh I don't even want to think about it!" she said, rubbing her head. Little did they know, there was someone above them, watching.

"I'm the Team Skull boss, and I've never been scared of nothing or nobody. Hell, I live my life making people scared of ME! So listen to what big bad Guzma has to say...YA'LL ARE FUCKING STUPID!" said Guzma, jumping off what looked like a tree and walked over to the couple.

"Well you're stupid for even coming here in the first place......so pot calling the kettle black?" said Collin, looking at his "father". "You okay?"

"I could be better." he said. "How the hell did you even get here?"

"We got Nebby to open an Ultra Wormhole." said Lillie, pointing at the white lion behind them. Guzma turned around and his eyes nearly fell out of his sockets.

"Well damn! That must have been a lot better than what I went through" he said, looking away.

"What do you mean by that?" asked Collin. Guzma let out a long sigh and looked at the two teens.

"It was so dark. I couldn't see anything in front of me except those stupid Ultra Beasts.....I tried to catch one." he said looking off into the distance. His eyes seemed to dilate as he remembered the experience he had. A few seconds later, he shook his head. "But it possessed me! My body, my mind... They started running wild, and I couldn't do anything about it! It was like I was somebody else and I finally felt what fear is like! AND IT'S FUCKING TERRIFYING!" he screamed.

"Are you sure you're okay Guzma?" asked Collin, genuinely concerned for him.

"I'll be fine. I just need to rest. But that lady....she's too far gone. All she cares about is her Ultra Beasts." he said looking down the path. "There is no talking to her, no reasoning with her......she's just gone...." Lillie stamped her foot down, getting the attention of the two males

"That doesn't change anything. I still have to go!" she shouted and she ran down the path.

"LILLIE!" cried Collin, chasing after her. Guzma decided to walk down the path to see what would happen. By the time they caught up with Lillie, she was standing in the middle of a wide room the that was crowded by the Ultra Beasts. Suddenly, a few of them formed a tower and slowly, one by one, they disappeared. When the last one disappeared, in it's place was Lusamine, smiling like crazy.

"Look at it... The world of my Ultra Beasts... A world where the only thing that exists is the love between Nihilego and myself. So beautiful... So delicious... This is the real paradise!" she said, looking all gleefully at the surrounding Ultra Beasts, now known as Nihilego. She then turned to Lillie and Collin and her face turned from bliss to pure rage. "AND YET YOU TWO ARE HERE! WHY DO YOU CONTINUE TO PESTER ME?!" she shouted at the top of her voice.

"Because you're a crazy bitch that needs to wake up." said Collin in a deadpan voice.

"Leave! Leave my beautiful world and my beautiful Beasts alone. I do not need you, I do not need that old ugly world! How can you possibly convince me to go back to that world?!" she asked, standing up.

"How could you say such at thing!? Do you not care about Guzma? You dragged him from our world just for his help! How do you think he feels about all of this?!" said Lillie. Off in the distance, Guzma smirked, knowing that someone actually cared for him.

"Why should I? Why should I care about things that aren't deemed worthy of my love?!" Lillie and Collin were stunned by the word the woman was saying. "I don't care if you were my child, I don't care if you were loyal to me, I don't even care if you were the rarest Pokemon in the world! If you aren't beautiful, you aren't worthy of my love!" Lillie looked down to the ground, looking like she was about to cry.

"You always do that.....you always thought about yourself over everyone else.....all those years on Aether.....you've been like this......" she mumbled. Collin walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her.

"It's okay, let it out if you want." he whispered in her ear. No tears came as Lusamine who started laughing.

"That's right! All I need to exist in my world are the things that I want to have with me! Everything else is just a bother to me!" Collin was about to let loose on Lusamine, when suddenly, Lillie got out of Collin's embrace and ran up to her mother.

"I AM THE ONE WHO IS SICK OF YOU MOTHER!" she shouted. It was so loud it echoed through the whole trench. "Children are not just THINGS that belong to their parents! Pokemon aren't just THINGS that a Trainer can do whatever they want with! I AM alive! Collin IS alive! Nebby IS alive! We are not made to be just discarded by you! YOU ARE A TERRIBLE FUCKING MOTHER!" she screamed, her face completely red. If it wasn't the current situation, Collin would have cheered Lillie and hugged her for dear life, but it wasn't the time or place. However, Lusamine didn't look phased at all. In fact, she just shrugged it off.

"Terrible? Me? How am I any different to a Pokemon Trainer, like your "boyfriend" over there." she said pointing at Collin. "Tell me, what do you do when you can't use a Pokemon? You put them in the PC box. Am I right?" she said with a wide grin across her face. Collin however, chuckled.

"Oh you couldn't be far from the truth." he said, walking up beside Lillie. "If there is one thing I've learned throughout all my years as a Trainer, it's that no Pokemon, big or small, tough or weak, old or young, is useless. Everyone of my Pokemon has been there for me when times get tough. Like Lillie said, Pokemon aren't things to be carried around like a new item of clothing. They are living, breathing creatures, unlike you who I don't even think you're human anymore." he said with what sounded like a snarl in his voice.

"ENOUGH WITH THIS USELESS TALK!" shouted Lusamine, standing even taller now. "Lillie, you once listened to me, no questions asked. You were even adorable to me. But now, you've been tainted by this awful Trainer who thinks he knows what's good for you! You hatefully little Trainer! HOW DARE YOU INTRUDE UPON THIS WORLD THAT WAS MEANT FOR NIHILEGO AND ME?!" she shouted, taking out a weird looking Poke Ball. "NOW, WITH NIHILEGO'S POWER, I WILL SHOW HOW WRONG YOU TWO WHERE TO COME HERE!" She threw the Poke Ball into the air and out came a Nihilego. But instead of attacking Collin and Lillie, it floated down to Lusamine, who had her arms in the air. They came together and there was a flash of light

"LILLIE GET BACK!" shouted Collin as he and Lillie backed away from the blinding light that consumed her mother.

* * *

When the light faded, there was no sign of Lusamine or Nihilego, until a purple creature floated down from the sky. It was massive, with long pointed tentacles with stingers on each tip. But what shocked the two of them the most, was what was inside of the creature.

"M-Mother?!" cried Lillie as she got a closer look. Inside the creature was none other than Lusamine herself, this time with glowing yellow eyes and dark purple hair.

"AUAAH!" she cried "SEE?! I AM THE PERSONIFICATION OF BEAUTY!" She floated in midair with her hands stretched out, showing her in full form. Collin didn't seem phased though.

"I think you mixed up Beauty and Beast you crazy bitch." he said, ready to attack.

"I'm gonna fix that little mouth of yours Lillie! But first, you can watch your boyfriend pay for what he has done to you!" Within seconds, her long arm stretched out towards Collin at lightning speed.

"COLLIN!" cried Lillie, scared of the outcome that was about to happen. Collin braced himself for impact when suddenly, all of his Pokemon came out of their balls and used their bodies to block the arm.

"WHAT!?" cried Lusamine. "HOW DARE YOU UGLY POKEMON PROTECT AN UGLY TRAINER LIKE HIM!"

"Heh, now's our chance. Everyone! Attack Lusamine!" commanded Collin. "Empoleon, Metal Claw! Decidueye, Leaf Blade! Mimikyu, Shadow Claw! Salazzle, Flamethrower! Crabrawler, Close Combat!" All of his Pokemon attacked Lusamine at once, causing her to fall back from the attacks. However, she didn't go down. She began to swat away at Collin's Pokemon, sending them back by his side. "Make sure she doesn't hit Lillie." he said to the team. They all nodded and went back on the offense. "Dodge every attack she throws at you!" he called back.

"Koo hoo!"

"Hiss!"

"Brawler!"

"Kyu!"

"Poleon!" cried his Pokemon as they began to attack. Mimikyu jumped onto one of Lusamine's tentacles and began to claw at it, only to be flung into a wall after not paying attention.

"Mimikyu!" cried Collin, returning the Pokemon to his ball. "Everyone! Be careful!" cried Collin. Everyone continued their attack on Lusamine. She attempted to punch Collin, however failed when Crabrawler used her own fist to direct it into a wall, getting it stuck.

"Brawl!" cried the Pokemon, and tried to aim directly for her face, however she managed to get her fist out just in time and slammed the Pokemon to the ground.

"Damn it!" Collin returned his Pokemon to her ball. With only three Pokemon left and each taking a beating, Collin feared he was in a loosing battle. But he couldn't give up, he had to trust the new strength that all his Pokemon had. "Decidueye! Spirit Shackle!" he shouted. The owl Pokemon shot an arrow directly into Lusamine's body, preventing an escape.

"YOU UGLY POKEMON!" she shouted and used her powers to throw massive rocks at Collin's Pokemon. While they managed to dodge most of the attacks, Decidueye was caught by a big one, sending it flying back and knocking it out.

"NO! Return!" called Collin. With only two Pokemon left, he felt it would be more easy for him to control the fight. "Salazzle, Flamethrower again!" Salazzle prepared use her Flamethrower, just as Lusamine picked up both her and  slammed her into the ground knocking her out. "SALAZZLE!" shouted Collin returning his Pokemon back into her ball. With one Pokemon left, Collin only had one thing to do. "Empoleon, you ready?"

"Empoleon!" cried the Pokemon.

"Okay! UNLEASH Z-MOVE!" He twisted the Waterium Z-Crystal on his Z-Ring and preformed the dance, powering up Empoleon. "USE HYDRO VORTEX!" he shouted. The battlefield was covered by a wall of water when Empoleon slammed right into Lusamine and created a whirlpool around her. When the water was gone, she looked like she was knocked out. "YES! Well done everyone! And well done Empoleon!" Just as he was about to return his Pokemon, it was slammed to the wall by a tentacle. "WHAT THE FU-" was all Collin could say before being grabbed by Lusamine.

"Did you really think you could beat me that easily?!" she said, getting right up into Collin's face.

"COLLIN NO!" cried Lillie, tears in her eyes.

"I'm going to enjoy ripping you apart like the ugly worm you are. And then, I'll show Lillie the errors of trusting you." she said, as her grip tightened around Collin and started to choke him. "Any last words to fall from your ugly mouth?"

"......fuck you you hentai loving, ugly, cunt fucking bitch!" he spat out just as Lusamine tightened her grip even more as Collin's face began to turn blue.

"Say goodbye to your loved one Lillie!" shouted Lusamine as Collin began to struggle for air. Lillie couldn't take it any longer.

"H-HELP US! PLEASE! NEBBY HELP US!" cried Lillie. A massive thud could be heard as Solgaleo came to Lillie's aid, causing Lusamine to be distracted by it.

"LA-LONNNNA!!" roared the Pokemon as massive shock waves shot from it's mouth and hit Lusamine directly. She began to toss and turn in the air as the attacks kept coming and she let go of Collin, causing him to fall to the ground and cough.

"Aaauuuggghhhhhhhhh!!!" she screamed as a white light appeared over her body. Collin rushed over to Lillie after returning Empoleon to his ball and shielded her from the light. When the light faded, the Ultra Beast was nowhere to be seen and Lusamine was falling slowly to the ground. Lillie jumped out of Collin's arms and rushed towards her mother.

"MOTHER!" she cried just as she fell to the floor. Lillie carried her into her arms slowly and looked at her mother's face. It looked peaceful as she slowly opened her eyes. "Mother?"

"Lillie?" said Lusamine in a low, tired voice. Just has Lillie was about to speak, Lusamine put a finger up to her mouth to shush her. "Heh....when did you get so......beautiful......" she whispered before closing her eyes again, falling to sleep. Collin walked over to the adult and felt her pulse.

"She'll be fine, she's just knocked out." he said, reassuring Lillie.

"Oh thank goodness." she said, breathing a sigh of relief. Just then, the surrounding Nihilego began to cry out at the same time, just as Guzma came to the small group.

"Woah! What the hell just happened? And just when it was about to get interesting!" he said. They looked around and saw the swarming Nihilego beginning to group up, looking like they were ready to attack.

"There are so many of them!!!" cried Lillie.

"Too many!" said Collin, grabbing Lillie and Lusamine and putting them on Nebby. "Hop on Guzma, we are getting the fuck out of here!" Guzma wasted no time and hopped onto the Legendary Pokemon. "Let's go Nebby! Back to Alola!" he said.

"LA-LONNNNA!!" roared Nebby and began to run back to where Collin and Lille came from, while being chased by the Nihilego's. They were gaining on the group just as Nebby opened up an Ultra Wormhole and jumping in, closing it behind them just as the Ultra Beasts were about to enter it. The group was now on it's way back to Alola, back home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo boy that was one hell of a chapter! I hope you enjoyed it! Reviews and comments of any nature are welcomed and as always, I'll see you in the next chapter. Cheerio!


	27. Passing On and the Road to Victory

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are near the homestretch of the main plot, so strap in! This might take some time so there might be breaks in between. I'll let you know if there is one though. Enjoy the chapter!

**Chapter 27-Passing On and the Road to Victory**

Collin opened his eyes to see that he was on the ground. He looked up and the bright Alolan sun lit up and shined bright. They made it home, back to Alola. He looked around him to see Lillie and Guzma just walking up too, with Lusamine still knocked out and Nebby sitting down.

"Collin!" cried Lillie, slowly walking up to him. "....we did it. I can't believe we did it!" She helped him up from the ground and gave him a hug, making him wince.

"Lillie.....you're hugging me too hard." he said, struggling.

"Oh! Sorry." She let go of him and let out a giggle. They heard the sound of footsteps of someone coming up the stairs. "Hapu!" shouted Lillie.

"Holy......" said Hapu, looking over the sight before her. "You know when I woke up this morning, the last thing I expected was seeing the Legendary Pokemon AND another hole in the sky!" She walked up to the small group and checked them. "Everyone okay?"

"A few scratches here and there but I think we are fine." said Collin, looking over himself. "Lusamine however is out like a light." Hapu took note of this and walked over to the  unconscious woman and checked over her.

"Hmm.......she's going to be alright, but judging by these small holes across her arms and neck," she said, pointing at them. "she'll need medical attention."

"The Aether Foundation will be able to help her, I'm sure of it." said Lillie, looking over her mother.

"Alright. Hey big guy!" yelled Hapu at Guzma. "Help me put the lady on Mudsdale!"

"O-Okay!" said Guzma as he gently lift her up from the ground and placed her onto Hapu's Mudsdale. After that, he walked to where Lillie and Collin was standing, scratching the back of his neck. "Listen.....thanks for getting me out of there. You didn't have to."

"Of course we had to." said Collin. "Look, make this be a lesson for yourself. Look before you leap." Guzma grunted in response and walked down the stairs.

"He's certainly a character." said Hapu, watching him. She turned to face Lillie and Collin with a bright smile across her face. "Collin, you've done well looking after Lillie, even if she's not a Trainer."

"Well I can't take all the credit. She's done amazing things herself." he said, bringing Lillie close to his side.

"I bet she has. Lillie, when you are done with business here, come down and find me." With that, Hapu left the couple, with Lusamine on her Mudsdale by her side. It was now just Collin, Lillie and Nebby on their own.

"Thank you Collin." she said, kissing his check. "And thank you too Nebby." She walked over to the Legendary Pokemon and began to pet his head. "All I ever wanted to do is send you back home. But instead, you've been helping me time and time again. I guess you can go home now yourself."

"Lana-lunna" roared Nebby and began to rub his face on Lillie. Collin walks over to the two and starts to pet him.

"I think he wants to stay here Lillie." he said, looking at the Pokemon.

"Do you?" asked Lillie. With a simple nod, Nebby gave his answer. "Heh, Collin is so right. We are a family. I feel the same, I want you to stay here. You've met so many people along our travels. Professor Kukui, Professor Burnet, Kahuna Hala, Hau....." she said, then turned to Collin with a warm smile. "And of course, the hero who saved you on that bridge, and your dada, Collin." Collin laughed at her comment.

"Don't forget mama." he said, causing her to giggle. "Honestly though, you really have become apart of a family and I couldn't be happier for you to stay."

"Yeah. Alola is wonderful! You'll get to see it all soon enough!" she said, but her smile seemed to fade slightly. "But not with me. I'm no Trainer."

"What?! You can be a Trainer Lillie!" said Collin, looking shocked.

"I know that know but I won't be able to handle a Pokemon like Nebby at my current state. I can't take you on the adventures you want. But Collin," she said turning to him. "he can. Please Collin, catch Nebby and give it a ball it can call home." She handed him an Ultra Ball, before kissing it. "I know that's what Nebby wants." Collin took the ball and looked at it. He looked at Nebby and he nodded.

"Okay. Nebby, you ready?" he asked. Nebby pressed its nose on the button and the Ultra Ball opened, catching Nebby. Within three shakes, Nebby was caught. "Wow.....the first time I've ever caught a Legendary Pokemon." he said before shaking his head. "No, he more like a son than a Legendary." Lillie giggled at him and kissed him on the lips.

"Thank you so much Collin. And Nebby," she said looking at the ball. "I may not have done much for you, but I'm so glad I took you away from Aether that day. Go with Collin, he'll give you the battles that you want, the adventure you want."

"I'll be sure to do that." said Collin before strapping the ball to his belt. "So what are you going to do now?"

"I'm going to go see my mother. I need to make sure she's okay." She looked at Collin's belt to see Nebby's ball. "Now Nebby, don't try to get out of the ball unless Collin lets you. And be careful with your power when you are near people. And don't go running off!" she said before Collin kissed her to basically shut her up.

"I think I can handle a giant Legendary Lion Lillie." he said, laughing.

"I know. Okay, I'm off. I'll see you later Collin." she said, giving him another kiss. "Thanks for everything. I love you."

"Love you too." Lillie waved and walked down the stairs, leaving Collin alone on the Altar. Unsure what to do next, he got a text message on his phone from Kukui.

 _Hey Collin! Pokemon League is now up and ready to go! Come to Tapu Village on Ula Ula and head on up here to challenge it whenever you are ready! Make sure to wear something warm though._ Collin looked at the phone and sighed.

"No time like the present." He used his Pager to summon Charizard and he flew to Ula Ula, ready to face Victory Road.

* * *

Landing in Tapu Village, he healed his Pokemon at the Pokemon Center and took out a jacket from his bag, and showed the men at the entrance his passport for entry. They allowed him into the pathway and he walked up it. Already the weather started to get chilly and there was some patches of snow long the way. He climbed up the path till he came across what looked like an elevator. The sound of the machine going down caught Collin off guard. But what really caught him off guard was who was on it.

"I've been waiting for you Collin." said Gladion, walking off the elevator.

"What for?" asked Collin.

"To thank you. For everything. For helping Lillie and for getting my mother back. I really appreciate it. More than you think." he said, with half smile across his face.

"It was nothing really. I couldn't just stand back and watch." said Collin, walking up to him. "Listen, sorry for judging you and yelling at you."

"No, you were right." said Gladion. "I thought what I was doing was right. Clearly I was wrong."

"Still though, don't start feeling guilty about it, I should be the one feeling guilty."

"Heh, you're a strong Trainer. A great Trainer even. Lillie told me that you and her are a....thing." he said, wincing. "It's going to take a while for me to get use to it, but she picked a great man. She said you are the greatest Trainer ever."

"Heh, of course she'd say that." he smiled, thinking about Lillie.

"Hau's working on getting stronger too." said Gladion, catching Collin off guard. "I had a battle with him not that long ago and he beat me." he said, slightly blushing.

"That's great. I was hoping he'd get stronger. Can't wait to face him again."

"Hmph, if you two keep getting stronger, I can't let my guard down." he said. "I know we aren't friends......." he started to smile. "....I'm just kidding myself, we are friends. Keep winning and I'll hopefully get to beat you one day."

"I'll look forward to it." said Collin, shaking Gladion's hand and letting him go down the path. Collin made his way towards the elevator that Gladion came from and continued his way up Victory Road. Along the way, Collin came across an ice cave in his way. Sighing, he entered the cave which of course almost froze him. He came across only Pokemon on his way, which made everything a lot more easier to travel through. Along the way, he trained up some of his Pokemon. After fighting with Crabrawler, something amazing happened. She began to glow white and her size increased. When the light faded, Crabrawler evolved.

"WOW! I didn't think you evolved! Rotom, give me the low down." he said and the Pokedex came out of the bag.

"Crabominable. The Woolly Crab Pokemon. Fighting Ice. It aimed for the top but got lost and ended up on a snowy mountain. Being forced to endure the cold, this Pokémon evolved and grew fur." Rotom went back into the bag and Collin returned Crabominable to her ball. He then spotted something strange in the corner of his eye. A completely white Vulpix, sitting on it's own in one little hole. It looked like it was crying. Collin couldn't help but take pity on the poor thing.

"Hey there." he said, bending down to the small hole. "You okay?"

"Vi....." it cried. Collin couldn't understand it, until the Pokedex came out of his bag.

"Masterz......I'm afraidz she mother passed away notz that long agoz." said the Rotom. Collin felt so bad for the Vulpix.

"Aw, come here girl." Collin gently scooped the Vulpix from the hole and carried it out of the cave. During this time, the Vulpix began to rub her head against Collin's, still crying. When they got out of the other side of the cave, Collin had to think about what to do. "I can't have you on the team, I already have six Pokemon." he said. This made the Vulpix cry even more, and hugged him tighter. He couldn't help but feel guilty about it. But then, an idea came into his head. "I may not be able to help you....but I know someone who can!" he said.

"VI?" cried the Vulpix.

"If you let me catch you, later on I can give you to someone who I know will take care of you. Sound fair?" he asked.

"Vi!" cried the Vulpix and nuzzled her nose up to Collin.

"Okay. Give me a sec." he said, taking out a Poke Ball from his bag and lightly tapping it on her head, catching the Vulpix. "You have a rest in here, I'll give you to your new mama later, okay?" He placed the ball in his bag carefully and set off to finish the rest of Victory Road. After going through a bigger cave, Collin made it to the other side of Victory Road, greeted by a Pokemon Center. Figured he'd heal his Pokemon, he decided to leave the Vulpix in the care of Nurse Joy just in case there was any problems with her. When he exited the Center, there was the sound of footsteps behind him.

"HOLD UP FOR ME!" shouted the voice. Collin turned around to see Hau spiriting up the hill towards him.

"Hey Hau! How's it going?" asked Collin.

"It's going great! After we split up at Aether, I finished all the Trials and beaten all the Kahunas. I even went back home and trained with Grandpa for a bit." he was breathing heavily, more than likely because he ran. "I figured it was about time to get here. When Gladion told me you'd be here, I rushed over as fast as I could. Like I mean I ran faster than I thought I could ever run."

"Why did you run? Take your time man and breath!" said Collin, patting Hau's back as he began to cough.

"Well first, Gladion told me that you got with Lillie!" said Hau and he began to hug him. "That's so cool man! You two are perfect for each other."

"Thanks Hau, I still can't believe it." he said.

"And the second reason is, I want to battle you!" he said, breaking the hug and going to one end of the hill. "This battle will determine who will challenge the Elite Four first! You up for it?"

"Of course." said Collin, getting his Pokemon ready. "Let's see how well your training has gone!"

* * *

"GO RAICHU!"

"GO MIMIKYU!" The two Pokemon faced each other with fighting spirit shown. "Let's kick this off the right way, Shadow Claw!" shouted Collin. A shadow hand came out from under Mimikyu and it scratched at Raichu. Raichu was knocked back hard but didn't look phased.

"Use Thunderbolt!" A bolt of lightning shot from the sky and down onto Mimikyu, but due to it's Disguise, it felt nothing. "Thunderbolt again!" shouted Hau, before Collin could get a word in. Another bolt of lightning shot from the sky, this time damaging Mimikyu hard.

"Shake it off Mimikyu! Shadow Claw again!" shouted Collin.

"One more Thunderbolt!" Mimikyu managed to hit Raichu just as the bolt of lightning hit it, knocking them both out at once.

"Return" said Collin and Hau followed. "Heh, I guess the Ghost Trial helped you how to deal with Mimikyu huh?"

"Yep! Go Komala!" said Hau, throwing out a Pokemon with its eyes closed, holding a log. Collin decided to take a shot in the dark.

"Go Crabominable!" The large Pokemon crashed down onto the ground, her giant fists punching the air.

"Use Earthquake!" shouted Hau. The ground began to shake violently, causing the large Pokemon to loose her balance and fall. While it weakened her a lot, she got back onto her feet, ready to attack.

"That's it girl! Use Close Combat!" Crabominable rushed to the small Pokemon and used a fury of rapid punches on it, sending it flying into the air.

"Return!" cried Hau and caught the Pokemon in midair. "Woo that thing is massive."

"Yeah but she's a glass cannon. Return girl." said Collin, and the massive Pokemon returned to the ball. "Still, Komala must be strong to make an Earthquake like that."

"Hehe, okay next Pokemon. Go Flareon!" shouted Hau and out came the Fire Type Eevee.

"Wow, wasn't expecting that. Go Empoleon!" Out came the Pokemon, sharpening it's wings. "Use Hydro Pump!" shouted Collin.

"Quick Attack!" Flareon charged forward and crashed into Empoleon before it could let out the Hydro Pump, sending it back quite a distance. "Yes!"

"Oh it's a speed game you want huh?" said Collin, chuckling. "Fine, Aqua Jet!"

"Quick Attack again!" shouted Hau. The two Pokemon, one covered in water, charged at each other and managed to hit one another. Despite being strong, Empoleon was knocked back hard, as well as Flareon, making them both faint at the same time.

"Nicely done Hau!" said Collin, returning Empoleon to his ball. "I can feel the strength coming off you already."

"Thanks, but I'm not done yet! Go Primarina!" shouted Hau and out came his starter Pokemon.

"Okay, Go Decidueye!" shouted Collin. Both their starters were out in the field, ready for their commands. "Use Spirit Shackle!" said Collin. Decidueye shot an arrow right at Primarina, with a direct hit on it's chest. However, Primarina didn't seem phased.

"Now's our chance! UNLEASH Z-MOVE!" How preformed the dance of the Water Z-Move and the aura surrounded Primarina. However, he looked a little different compared to how Collin used the Waterium Z. Then he noticed the Z-Crystal Hau was using, it wasn't the Waterium Z. "NOW USE OCEANIC OPERETTA!" he shouted. Primarina sung a heavenly tune and summoned a giant water ball, forcing it over to Decidueye and trapping it in the ball. He sang another tune, this time bursting the ball and causing damaged to Decidueye. While it was devastating, Decidueye barely managed to hang on.

"Okay, let's attack back! UNLEASH Z-MOVE!" cried Collin, twisting the Z-Crystal and preforming the grass dance, powering up Decidueye. "NOW USE BLOOM DOOM!" The entire battlefield was covered in flowers as far as the eye could see, when suddenly a massive laser came down from the sky and hit Primarina directly. When the flowers cleared and the smoke was gone, Primarina was on the ground, knocked out.

"Return!" said Hau followed by Collin returning Decidueye to his ball. Hau was looking rather upset. "Ugh, I really wanted my Pokemon to know how it feels to beat your team this time!" Collin walked over to Hau and place a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey man, I know what it feels like." said Collin, showing a warm smile. "You really have improved though, so keep it up."

"Yeah! I'll keep training until I'll be able to beat you one day! So you better become Champion so I can beat you then!" said Hau, finally perking back up.

"I look forward to it." smiled Collin. "Wait before you go, what was that Z-Crystal you used?" he asked. Hau was confused at first before he realized.

"Oh yeah, that was a Primarium Z. Only Primaria can use it to use it's own Z-Move." he said, holding up his Z-Ring. "Ask Professor Kukui about it, I'm sure he has one for Decidueye as well." he said before stretching. "Well, I better get back to training. Good luck Collin, I'll be rooting for you."

"Thanks Hau. Take care." Just as Collin was about to head back into the Pokemon Center to heal his team, Hau gave him a friendly hug.

"I'm so glad the person that moved to Alola was you Collin." he said, before letting go and heading down the mountain. Collin felt warm inside, knowing that he had his girlfriend AND a close friend wishing him the best of luck in his final battles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woah boy this was a struggle to write for some reason. And I bet the next few chapters will be like that as well. If I don't upload a chapter tomorrow, it will be the next day for sure. So keep an eye open. Anyway, reviews and comments of any nature are welcomed and as always, I'll see you in the next chapter. Cheerio!


	28. Elite Four (Part 1)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The time is here, the Elite Four. Can Collin beat them and become champion of Alola? We'll see. Enjoy!

**Chapter 28-Elite Four**

After healing up his Pokemon again, Collin continued his way along the path and was greeted by a massive crystal looking dome. Standing in front of the dome was Professor Kukui, still wearing only is lab coat and shorts, baffling Collin. 

"Hey there Collin! Been a while since I saw you." he said, walking up to the Trainer. "You managed to beat all the Trials and beat all the Kahunas. That my friend is no small feat. Congratulations!" Kukui shook Collin's hand, who was still confused by his clothes.

"Aren't you fucking cold? You text me to come up here wearing something warm and yet here you are, standing in the cold with almost nothing on you!" he said, pointing at his shirtless chest.

"Nah! I'm like a roaring fire! I'm hotter than a Blast Burn!" he said, though he looked like he was about to freeze. "Lillie told me what happened at Aether when I rang her a few minute ago. She said you had Solgaleo on your side now. That's amazing and I'm happy to say there is a reason why we built the Pokemon League here on Mount Lanakila. It's to pay tribute to the Legendary Pokemon Solgaleo. Do you mind letting him out for some sort of blessing?" he asked.

"Sure. Okay Nebby, out you come." said Collin, throwing Nebby's ball out and the massive Pokemon appeared. "Professor Kukui has built this Pokemon League in your honor. Would you give it your blessing?"

"LANA-LUNNA!" roared Nebby. The roar could be heard all over Mount Lanakila.

"Thank you Solagleo for the blessing." said Kukui, bowing in front of the Legendary. Nebby however went up to Kukui and gave him a lick across the face.

"I don't think Nebby is one for being formal. Just call him Nebby." said Collin, returning the Pokemon to his ball. "So....the Pokemon League. Didn't think I'd get to one here on Alola."

"Looking at it gives me flash backs to when i went to the Indigo League. But I've talked about it enough, let's go inside." Kukui began to walk forward before stopping. "Um.....did you-"

"Yeah I healed my Pokemon up because I won't be able to come back out when I enter." said Collin, interrupting him. "I know the drill."

"Oh....fair enough. Let's get going." The two walked side by side as they entered the League. Inside was a massive platform leading to four other rooms, suspended in midair. It was warm inside despite the location so Collin took of his jacket and put it in his bag. Kukui walking into the middle of the room and stood proud. "Four Trainers! Four rooms! Face the Elite Four and you'll become the first ever Champion of Alola." This caught Collin off guard.

"Wait.....first Champion? You don't have a Champion?" he asked.

"Well yeah, we did just set the League up. You are the first one to ever challenge it." he said. "Is that okay?"

"I mean...yeah but I didn't expect it." said Collin. "So all I got to do is beat the Elite Four and then I'm Champion?"

"That's the idea. Go on and pick your first challenge! These should be one heart stopping matches ahead so good luck! I'll be rooting for ya!" Kukui was about to finish before turning back to Collin. "Oh yeah, take this." he said, handing a Z-Crystal to Collin. "This is Decidium Z, a special Z-Crystal that can only be used by Decidueye. Hope it brings you luck."

"Thanks Professor." said Collin and he looked at the rooms. Each one had a symbol above it. A fist, a rock, a spirit and a wing. Deciding to go in order, Collin walked over to the room with the fist symbol. Walking through the door and up the steps, he was greeted with an arena with glowing yellow barriers with fists leading up to the Elite Four member. Said member, was a familiar face.

"Old Hala is here to make you holler!" shouted Hala. "Oh ho! If it isn't Collin. Been a while since I've seen you face to face."

"Good to see you Hala, but I guess this isn't time for chitchat." said Collin, smirking at the energy of the old man.

"Indeed my boy. Your old Kahuna is now a member of the Elite Four. And this time I'm not holding back! Time for me to show you what I can really do!" he said getting into battle position.

"Bring it old man!" said Collin, grabbing his first Pokemon.

* * *

The fight started with Hariyama versus Mimikyu. Mimikyu managed to control most of the fight, but Hariyama managed to use Knock Off on him, crippling it severally. The fight ended with Hariyama knocked out and Mimikyu injured, too injured to battle for the rest of the match. The next fight was between Primeape and Empoleon. This time, Primeape managed to get the jump on Empoleon with it's quick speed and the move Cross Chop. Empoleon managed to get a few hits in with Aqua Jet and Metal Claw, but in the end it lost to Primeape. 

"Damn Hala! Didn't think you were holding out!" said Collin, returning Empoleon to his ball.

"This old man has a few tricks up his sleeve!" Collin sent out Crabominable to fight Primeape. Even with the speed and power advantage, Primeape lost to a well timed Close Combat, making Crabominable the victor of the fight. In response, Hala sent out Bewear. This time, Bewear manged to get some swings on Crabominable with the Hammer Arm, but with the lost of speed and Crabominable still barely standing, it used another set of Close Combat, ending with Crabominable the winner again. Collin returned the extremely weak Pokemon when Hala sent out Poliwrath. Collin sent out Decidueye, which due to typing made quick work of Poliwrath, Feeling confident, Collin kept out Decidueye when Hala sent out his final Pokemon.

"GO CRABOMINABLE!" The Pokemon towered over Decidueye, but Collin tried not to be phased.

"Okay Decidueye, use Spirit Shackle!" Decidueye shot at the massive Pokemon with it's arrows. "Alright now for a Leaf Blade!" Decidueye began to cut at the Pokemon, but nothing really seemed to damage it.

"Ice Hammer!" cried Hala. Crabominable lifted it's fist high into the air and it froze. With huge force, it slammed down onto Decidueye, knocking him out in one hit.

"DAMN!" shouted Collin, over the fact Decidueye was knocked out and at how powerful the Ice Hammer was. "Return!" said Collin.

"You ready to give up yet?" said Hala, giving a hearty laugh.

"Fat chance! GO SALAZZLE!" The lizard Pokemon came out and hissed at it's opponent. "Let's not beat around the bush! Flamethrower!" shouted Collin. A burst of flame came out of Salazzle's mouth and hit Crabominable directly. 

"NO!" shouted Hala, fearing it was the end.

"YES! NOW UNLEASH Z MOVE!" He twisted the Firium Z on his Z-Ring, preforming the dance and powered up Salazzle. "NOW USE INFERNO OVERDRIVE!" Salazzle's body was covered in fire as she rushed towards the massive Pokemon. The fireball increased in size and it hit Crabominable. When the smoke cleared, the Pokemon was on the ground, defeated. "YES! WELL DONE SALAZZLE!" he said, returning the Pokemon to her ball.

"Return Crabominable, you fought well." The massive Pokemon returned to it's ball and Hala smiled fondly at Collin. "I could feel the strength coming off you from your journey. However, I wonder how much of that is from your past journeys, or your journey in Alola." he said, pondering over it. "Maybe it doesn't matter, you are a strong trainer no doubt about that."

"Thanks Hala." said Collin, shaking his hand. "By the way, why did you join the Elite Four?"

"I need to experience new things before I pass, I'm not getting any younger as you can see." he said laughing. "It's truly an amazing thing this League, and this battle was quite the experience. If the rest of them will be like this, I'm most certainly looking forward to it. You can move on to your next challenge. Step on this panel and it will lead you back into the main room."

"Thanks Hala. Hope you enjoy your time as an Elite Four member." said Collin as he stepped onto the teleport panel and ended up back in the main room. The floor under him started to glow as it formed a light path towards the middle of the room. He decided to take this time to heal up his team of Pokemon before facing the next member. Once his team was healed up, he made his way to the room with the rock symbol above it. He followed the path and up the stairs. This time the room was green with the pattern of rocks surrounding the barriers. Standing in front of him was another familiar face.

"Welcome to the Rock Chamber!" said Olivia, standing proud. "Great to see you again Collin, but there is no time for talking. Battle me and prove you are worthy to become Champion!"

"Fair enough! Come at me Olivia!" said Collin, getting his Pokemon ready.

* * *

The first battle was between Collin's Empoleon versus Olivia's Armaldo. The fight didn't last long due to the type advantage Empoleon had over most of her team, so Armaldo wasn't on for long. Her next Pokemon was Cradily. This proved more of a challenge due to the fact that it had Energy Ball. Empoleon managed to pull through and knock out Cradily. Still feeling up to it, Empoleon stayed out when Olivia sent out Gigalith. Collin was surprised to learn that it didn't have Sturdy as an ability, as it went down in one Hydro Pump. Collin felt like he was on a roll now......then came out Probopass. 

"Use Thunder Wave!" shouted Olivia. With that one move, the tides of the match turned to her favor. Empoleon was gimped due to the Thunder Wave, barely able to move at all. Between the Rock Gems and Earth Power, Empoleon's winning streak was over. Collin was going to throw out Decidueye, but he decided against it. Instead, with a smirk on his face, he picked his Pokemon.

"GO NEBBY!" he shouted. Out of the tiny ball came the massive white lion known as Solgaleo. Olivia's jaw nearly hit the floor but she tried her best to remain calm.

"Thunder Wave!" she shouted.

"Dodge and charge up a Solar Beam!" Nebby managed to dodge all of Olivia's attacks and charged up the Solar Beam. "Now! UNLEASH IT!" he shouted. A massive beam of green energy shot from Nebby's forehead and directly hit Probopass, knocking it out.

"Return!" shouted Olivia. "Hmph, I never thought I'd see the Legendary Pokemon with my own eyes. But I won't let that catch me off guard!"

"I wouldn't have it any other way!" said Collin, ready for the next battle.

"Go Lycanroc!" Out came her final Pokemon and it looked ready to attack.

"Okay let's make this quick! Flash Cannon!" shouted Collin. A white laser shot from Solgaleo's mouth and headed towards Lycanroc.

"Counter!" shouted Olivia. Lycanroc began to glow and the laser bounced off it's body and shot back at Solgaleo. Even though it did little damage, it managed to stagger him enough for Olivia to attack. "NOW UNLEASH Z-MOVE!" Olivia twisted the Rockium Z and preformed her dance and powered up Lycanroc. "NOW USE CONTINENTAL CRUSH!" Lumps of rock surrounded Lycanroc and it managed to smash down onto Solgaleo. However, what Olivia wasn't expecting was the Legendary Pokemon was still standing, albeit looking pretty weak.

"WHAT?!" she screamed.

"Okay Nebby, let's show her what you're made of! SUNSTEEL STRIKE!" Solgaleo jumped up into the air and it's forehead glowed, showing the sun symbol. A massive sun appeared from behind him and he rushed forward down to Lycanroc, slamming it across the room. When the attack was finished, Lycanroc was knocked out. "Well done Nebby! Return!" he said and the Legendary Pokemon returned to it's ball.

"Return Lycanroc." said Olivia and she walked up to Collin. "You have a really, really lovely bond with your Pokemon Collin." she said.

"Thanks Olivia. I can say the same for you."

"Heh, Kukui told me you now have a special someone in your life." she said, making Collin blush. "Ah young love. If only I was so lucky."

"Hey, you never know. There's always someone for somebody." he said, patter her on the shoulder. She looked into Collin's eyes and smiled.

"You don't have the same look in your eyes when we first met." she said, confusing him. "You looked like you didn't want to be here, doing the Trials. Now, I can see determination in those eyes. Lillie must have changed you somehow."

"Well, she's my inspiration to keep going. I want to make her proud." he said bluntly, making Olivia smile more.

"I'm sure she's proud of you already. Go on to the next member, it's only going to get tougher from here on out, so don't let your guard down." Collin waved at Olivia and stepped on the teleport panel, exiting the room. He was in the main hall again and like before, the light traveled from the door to the middle of the room. Collin took this time to heal up Solgaleo and Empoleon and decided to take a small break. With two more members of the Elite Four to go, Collin was so close to becoming Champion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy this way hard to write. And I'm personally not looking forward to the next part. If it's not up to standards, sorry but I tried my best. Anyway, reviews and comments of any nature are welcomed and as always, I'll see you in the next chapter. Cheerio!


	29. Elite Four (Part 2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The second part of the Elite Four battles are here. This might be short so I apologize but I hope you enjoy the chapter either way!

**Chapter 29-Elite Four (Part 2)**

With a fully healed team, Collin set off to face the next member of the Elite Four. He entered the room with the spirit symbol above it, having the idea that it was Ghost Type. Walking into the purple room, there was a thick layer of smog that covered it. He walked up the stairs and onto the arena, when the smog died down. Purple barriers surrounded the arena with smoke coming from the end of it. Standing in front of Collin was none other than Acerola.

"Acerola is here to bring some royal class to the Pokemon League!" she shouted and posed at the same time.

"Hey Acerola! I was expecting Nanu to be here, considering Hala and Olivia are members." said Collin, walking up to her.

"Nanu said, in his words, "I may not be able to refuse the Tapu for being choosing to serve as Kahuna, but I'd be damned if I had to serve as an Elite Four member just because some guy asked me.". His words not mine!" she said, laughing at the idea.

"Yeah that sounds like him. So you decided to fill in the role huh?"

"Yep." she said and her smile faded. "Listen, sorry for pushing everything on you a few days ago. Things were getting so hard to managed. Between the Trial and Yungoos and Lillie, things haven't been exactly smooth."

"Ah now stop." said Collin, holding his hand up. "It's not your fault, you didn't know how bad the Trial would affect me, or Team Skull taking the Yungoos, or Lillie being kidnapped. So don't go blaming everything on yourself." This seemed to perk Acerola back up, as her smile returned to normal.

"Yeah! Thanks Collin." she said before taking a deep breath. "But now isn't the time to talk. Time for me to show you what I'm made of!"

"Bring it!"

* * *

The battle started with Acerola's Sableye against Collin's Mimikyu. Due to it's Fairy Typing and the Disguise ability, Mimikyu took the Sableye down with no problem. Not wanting to make the same mistake as last time, he called back Mimikyu while Acerola sent out Drifblim. In response, Collin sent out Empoleon to counter it. It was a troublesome fight, as Collin didn't expect Drifblim to have Thunderbolt on it's side. But Empoleon managed to pull through and won the fight, but was heavily damaged during it. She sent out her next Pokemon, known as Dhelmise. At first, Collin was going to send out Decidueye since it looked like a Water Type, however he noticed the seaweed surrounding the Pokemon. He took a gamble and sent out Salazzle. This gamble paid off, as Salazzle managed to take down the Dhelmise no problem. When Acerola sent out Froslass, prior experince told him to keep the fire type Pokemon on the field. Sure enough, Frosslass went down without any trouble. Acerola was down to only one more Pokemon, but she was still determined.

"GO PALOSSAND!" she shouted. Out came what looked like a sand castle Pokemon, but the opening began to move, showing it had a mouth. "We are going to go all out this time!" she shouted.

"Think you can take it Salazzle?" he asked.

"Hiss!" she cried, with a nod showing she was willing to try.

"Fair enough, I'm not one to argue. Venoshock!" Poison shot from Salazzle and hit Palossand, however it seemed to do very little in damage.

"Earth Power!" shouted Aceorla. The ground began to shake violently and it managed to knock Salazzle onto the ground, knocking her out in the process. "Yes! Score one for me!" she cheered

"Return Salazzle." said Collin and the fainted Salazzle returned to the ball. He counted his lucky stars and picked his next Pokemon. "Go Mimikyu!" Mimikyu came out of it's ball, with the Disguise already broken. "Okay buddy, you're gonna have to pay attention. I know you can do it."

"Kyu!" cried Mimikyu.

"Aw it's cute that he responds to you." said Acerola, going goo-goo eyed over the sight of the Mimikyu. "Whoops! Almost lost my train of thought! Use Shadow Ball Palossand!" Palossand opened it's mouth and a black ball of energy shot out from it's mouth and headed towards Mimikyu.

"Dodge!" shouted Collin. Mimikyu just managed to dodge out of the way from the Shadow Ball. "Nice! Now go for a Shadow Claw!" Mimikyu jumped into the air and using it's hand underneath the cloth, it slashed at Palossand, causing major damage.

"No Palossand!" cried Acerola, seeing her star Pokemon being damaged.

"Now's the time! UNLEASH Z-MOVE!" shouted Collin, twisting the Ghostium Z-Crystal and preforming the dance, powering up Mimikyu. "NOW USE NEVER-ENDING NIGHTMARE!" The arena was shrouded in darkness and a massive shadow came from under Mimikyu and went towards Palossand. Multiple arms came from under the ground and trapped the Pokemon, causing a massive explosion. When the darkness cleared, Palossand was defeated, making Collin the victor. "Well done Mimikyu! Return." Mimikyu returned to it's ball, along with Palossand returning to it's own ball.

"I'm.....I'm speechless! You done me in!" she said, but still smiling. "I heard you were a powerful trainer but that.......that's just amazing!"

"Pfft, I'm not that powerful." he said trying to be modest. "I just do what other Trainers do. Train, train, train. That's what everyone does. But not only do I train, I bond and love everyone of my Pokemon. Not one of them will be useless on my team." Acerola looked at Collin and gave him a warm smile.

"If only everyone was like that. The world is full of horrible people, but it's full of wonderful people like you." she said before laughing. "You know, I was hoping I could beat you, so I can become Champion myself one day. I guess that dream will have to wait."

"You never know. Hell I don't even think I'll become Champion."

"Nonsense, you totally can be Champion. Not only that, you have one more challenger to face before you become Champion! Just head back to the main room and face the next Elite Four member." Collin walked passed Acerola and was about to get on the teleport panel, before Acerola stopped him. "Good luck Champ." she said, winking at him.

"Thanks Acerola." And with that, Collin left the room and was back in the main room. Like before, the floor lit up and traveled to the middle of the room. With one more member left to take on, Collin healed his team up and was ready to face what was in store for him. He walked up to the room with the wing symbol above it, clearly meaning the last member used Flying Type Pokemon. Collin really didn't prepare his team for this, with only Crabominable having Ice moves, but with a weakness to Flying Types, it was going to be tricky. He went in and followed the path leading to a green room surrounded by green barriers, ending with wings. Standing in front of him was someone he never saw before, a fresh face carrying a golf stick.

"So, here you are....why don't we see who the winds favor today, shall we?" said the woman in front of him. Her face had no expression on it, so Collin was unsure how she was feeling. That all changed suddenly when her face turn from blankness, to pure shock. "No way......you can't be.....COLLIN CLARKSON?!" she shouted. This caught him completely off guard.

"W-W-Wha? How do you know my name?!" he questioned.

"I was in Kalos during the parade after you defeated Team Flare! I saw your face. I know we weren't allow to tell people, and I didn't, but how could I forget a face of the person who saved an entire region?" she said, looking all giddy now.

".....right......just don't go spreading it around here okay? I don't want people to hound my ass." he said.

"Of course! You have my word." she said, almost saluting him. "Oh wait, I suppose I better tell you who I am. I'm Kahili. A few years ago, I was an Island Champion just like you. I've been traveling the world to hone and improve my skills as a Pokemon Trainer and a golfer, which is how I ended up in Kalos. When Kukui told me about the Pokemon League and asked me to be a member, I just had to come back and serve for Alola!"

"Well I'm glad you done that, because this is going to be one interesting battle." said Collin, getting his Poke Balls ready.

"Indeed." she said. "I can't believe my first ever battle as an Elite Four member is with the Hero of Kalos. I'm gonna give everything I got!"

* * *

The match started off badly for Collin. He sent out Mimikyu against Skarmory, thinking it's Disguise Ability would protect it. Sure enough it didn't and Mimikyu was knocked out within two hits. Not wanting to risk another blow like that, he send out Salazzle to deal with the Skarmory. A few Flamethrowers and the steel bird was down. She then sent out Crobat. Collin withdrew Salazzle for the time being and sent out Crabominable to face it. Thankfully Collin had an easier time with this as Crabominable used Ice Hammer and Ice Punch against the bat Pokemon, taking out with no problem. Kahili then sent out a Pokemon called Oricorio. Collin decided to keep Crabominable out on the field, which was a mistake when the Pokemon used Revelation Dance that did fire damage to the massive crab Pokemon. While she wasn't defeated, Collin decided to withdraw Crabominable from the match and sent out Empoleon, who had a much easier time with the bird Pokemon, using it's Hydro Pump to take it out. Collin left Empoleon out when Kahili threw her next Pokemon, Mandibuzz. Mandibuzz proved to be tricky for Empoleon, as it used Bone Rush on it many times. Despite this, Empoleon managed to beat the bird Pokemon with a well timed Metal Claw. With a weakened Empoleon, Collin withdrew him, waiting for Kahili to send out her final Pokemon.

"GO TOUCANNON!" she shouted and threw her Poke Ball. Out came a bird Pokemon with a massive beak. Collin wasn't fully sure if he should send out Crabominable just yet, in fear of a Fire Type move.

"Go Salazzle!" he shouted. Salazzle was sent out more as a test so see what moves Toucannon had, but still was ready to attack. "Flamethrower!" shouted Collin.

"Dodge and use Beak Blast!" shouted Kahili, Toucannon began to fly into the air, dodging the Flamethrower, all the while it's beak was beginning to glow red. With a sharp decent, Toucannon hit Salazzle with it's beak, creating a blast of fire from it. This send Salazzle back, and she struggled to get up. "NOW UNLEASH Z-MOVE!" Kahili turned a Z-Crystal Collin never seen before and preformed a dance, powering up Toucannon. "NOW USE SUPERSONIC SKYSTRIKE!" Toucannon flew high into the air and came back down fast at almost supersonic speed, crashing into Salazzle hard and knocking her out.

"Return!" shouted Collin. Despite this, Collin felt confident about his next choice and how he was going to pull it off. "Go Crabominable!" he shouted and out came the massive Pokemon once again. Kahili didn't look surprised.

"Ha, shame that it's part Fighting Type, because this will take you your ace no problem, hero!" she said with a smirk on her face. "Beak Blast!" she shouted. Toucannon charged up it's beak and began to fly towards Crabominable. Collin didn't say anything and just watched the Pokemon come closer. He was waiting for the right moment, and he took it.

"ICE HAMMER NOW!" he shouted. Crabominable raised it's fist into the air and covered it in ice. Just as Toucannon was about to hit the Pokemon with it's beak, the fist slammed down right onto the Pokemon, knocking it out in one hit and making Collin the winner. "AWESOME JOB CRABOMINABLE! You deserved that win!" he said, returning the Pokemon to her ball.

"Return Toucannon, you did your best." said Kahili as her Pokemon returned to it's ball. "It's frustrating as a member of the Elite Four to lose, but man your strength shows. No wonder you are the Hero of Kalos."

"I guess. Still, great match." he said, shaking her hand.

"Yeah, it was amazing to battle someone like you. A fresh face to Alola is someone we need as a Champion. To keep a secret between you and me, I actually was annoyed that Kukui called me back." she said, laughing. "But I did anyway, just to see if it's worthwhile. After this match, I can gladly say it was."

"Well I'm glad you changed your mind." Kahili then turned serous for a moment.

"You know what this means now? You are now the Champion of Alola. Head to the main room and you'll be seated at your throne." she said, pointing to the Teleport Panel.

"......okay.....Thanks Kahili, hope to talk to you again soon." said Collin and he exited the room. What he didn't see was the smirk across her face has he left the room.

"If only he knew it's not that easy. Good luck Hero."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the length but trust me when I say the next chapter will be a beefer. However I'll need two days to work on it, so forgive me for doing another break. Anyway, reviews and comments of any nature are welcomed and as always, I'll see you in the next chapter. Cheerio!


	30. Congratulatory Goodbye

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we are at the end of the main plot. While we aren't done just yet, I just want to say thank you so much for reading this fic if you gotten this far. This was just a silly idea and I can't believe I got this far. I honestly thought this was going to stop at chapter 5 due to how my brain works, but thankfully I managed to beat my own odds. There is one person I'd like to thank though, and that's Moonlight Butterfree. This person has been helping me bounce off ideas and helping me fix mistakes and I'll be honest, without this person the fic would have died. So please check out his work on here and on FFN, great person.  
> Also, while I'm here, I'd like to announce that shortly after this fic is done, there will be "Pokemon: The Ultra Adventure." Set two years after the original fic and that's all you'll get to know for now. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!

**Chapter 30-Congratultory Goodbyes**

After finally exiting out of Kahili's room, the path glowed one last time and followed the path to the middle of the room. The massive circle began to glow a rainbow colour, showing it was now powered on. With one final heal up, just in case, Collin headed towards the circle, when a beam of light surrounded him, blinding him. When his eyes adjusted, he was now in a massive room with the clear glass dome showing the Alolan sunset. He walked up the steps and was greeted by.....nothing. The room was completely empty besides a chair at the end. Slowly, Collin walked over to the chair and inspected it. He was still under the impression that Kukui lied to him about the League having no Champion, but at the same time the evidence presented showed it was the case, there was no Champion. Collin decided to take this oppertunity to sit down on the chair, looking out in front of him. He sat there for five minutes before the sound of the teleporter was heard. Coming up from the steps was none other than Professor Kukui, smiling.

"Oh yeah Collin! You are now the Alolan Pokemon League Champion!" he said with his smile growing wider. Collin felt a little uncomfortable sitting down in the chair, something didn't feel right.

"Are you sure? Like that's it?" he asked. Kukui looked down and showed a sly smirk.

"Of course......if only it was that simple." he said, smirking even more. "The truth is, there is one more person you need to fight in order to be truly Champion." Kukui looked up and Collin sighed.

"I had the feeling this was the case." He got up from the chair and stood to the battlefield. "Okay Kukui, who is it?" Kukui only smirked again at his question.

"That person.......IS ME! WOO!" he shouted, standing proud. Collin had to admit, he didn't see it coming. "Let this be one final hurrah for your Island Challenge AND as a tribute as you and this Pokemon League embark on a new path."

"Wait.....so I'm Champion or not?" asked Collin before battling.

"Well technically you are, hence when I said you and the Pokemon League will embark on a new path." he said. "I never lied about there being no Champion. But I never said you were going to get to it easily. Face me, and you'll truly be Champion." Collin began to chuckle at Kukui, now settled down.

"I was hoping that was the case. It didn't feel right to not have a final battle." he said, smiling. "Let's make this one hell of a battle, shall we Professor?"

"Of course! Let's have a battle worthy of this moment!" he shouted. Both him and Collin had their Poke Balls at the ready, as they got into position. With one final nod, the two were ready.

"GO CRABOMINABLE!"

"GO LYCANROC!" Both Pokemon were on the field, one clearly standing tall over the other. "Set up a Stealth Rock!" shouted Kukui. Bits of rock were thrown across the arena and began to float in the air. Collin knew this was going to be a pain in the long run.

"Let's not waste any time here! Use Close Combat!" shouted Collin.

"Dodge and use Stone Edge!" Crabmonible charged forward with a fury of punches, but Lycanroc dodged out of the way before it could be it. When it landed back on the ground, a rocks began to come up from underneath the ground and stabbed Crabominable, causing major damage. Despite this, Crabominable was still standing strong and she was ready to fight again.

"That's it girl! Go for another Close Combat!"

"Accelerock!" shouted Kukui. Lycanroc shot like lightning towards Crabominable. However Collin didn't say a word, hoping she would be able to at least get one or two punches off. Sure enough she managed to gimp the sides of Lycanroc just as it hit her. The two Pokemon fell at the same time, defeated.

"Return!" they both shouted at the same time. Both had five Pokemon left, unsure what the other one had at the point in time. Kukui decided to use this moment to shuffle his team around and pick his next Pokemon.

"Go Ninetales!" Out came a snow white Ninetales, the same kind as the one he found on Victory Road. Collin thought about his next Pokemon very carefully, with his mind decided when he picked the Ultra Ball.

"Go Nebby!" The Legendary Pokemon came out of it's ball and let out a might roar, showing he was ready to battle. Even the Steal Rocks around him didn't seem to phase him as he barely felt the damage. Kukui looked impressed.

"I see you are using Nebby. Despite this, I'll use everything I got!" he said, looking at Ninetales. "Use Ice Shard!" he shouted. Ice chunks came out and were flung towards Solgaleo. These did enough damage to hurt the Legendary Pokemon, but he stood strong, ready for more.

"Use Flash Cannon Nebby!" A beam of white light shot from Solgaleo's forehead and almost hit Ninetales, as it dodged out of the way just in time. "WHAT?!"

"YEAH! NOW USE BLIZZARD!" A massive Blizzard covered the arena, hitting Solgaleo directly. It was so powerful, it managed to freeze the massive Pokemon. "Alright Ninetales! Use Ice Shard again!"

"Come on Nebby! Get out of there and use Flash Cannon!" Ninetales jumped into the air and summoned the ice shards, sending them flying to the frozen Pokemon. Just as the shards were about to hit Solgaleo, he managed to break his head out of the ice and use the Flash Cannon. It caught Ninetales completely off guard that it couldn't dodge out of the way in time, getting directly hit by the Flash Cannon and knocking it out.

"Oh no Ninetales! I'm sorry. Return for a rest." said Kukui and his Pokemon returned to it's ball. Solgaleo fully broke out of the ice, but it could barely stand due to the cold.

"It's already Nebby, you did your best. Return for now." said Collin and the Legendary Pokemon return to his ball. Four Pokemon on both side usable and the tension was getting unbearable. Collin decided to pick his next Pokemon at the same time Kukui did.

"GO MIMIKYU!"

"GO BRAVIARY!" Kukui mentally kicked himself as he knew he couldn't use most of his moves on Collin's Mimikyu despite the Stealth Rock doing damage. But he wasn't one to back down from a fight and today certain wasn't an exception. "Alright Braviary, use Tailwind!" A tailwind came from behind Braviary and it's speed increased. Collin didn't looked phased as it was the perfect opening.

"Mimikyu, Play Rough." he said with a calm voice. Mimikyu jumped up in the air and started to rapidly attack Braviary, causing major damage.

"Shake it off Braviary and use Brave Bird!" shouted Kukui. Braviary charged forward at lightning speed and impacted Mimikyu and injuring itself....however the horror on Kukui's face showed plain as day as he made a mistake as Mimikyu's fake head fell down. "SHIT I FORGOT ABOUT THE ABILITY!"

"You aren't the first! Play Rough again!" Mimikyu charged at the Braviary and attacked the Pokemon, knocking it out shortly afterwards. "Well done Mimikyu!" said Collin. Kukui returned his Pokemon to it's ball and laughed.

"Heh, I guess I got too fired up to remember Mimikyu's ability." he said getting his next Pokemon ready. "Go Magenzone!" he said and out came the UFO looking Pokemon.

"Wanna stay out?" asked Collin to his Pokemon. "Okay buddy, use Shadow Claw!" A shadow covered hand came out from under the Pokemon and slashed at Magenzone, yet it didn't seem to do enough damage.

"Thunder Wave!" shouted Kukui. A small bolt of lightning shot down from the sky and hit Mimikyu, paralyzing it. Mimikyu couldn't move at all and Collin knew he was in trouble. "Use Flash Cannon!"

"Dodge!" shouted Collin. Mimikyu tried his hardest to move, but the Flash Cannon connected and due to his ability gone, there was no defense and Mimikyu was knocked out. "Return Mimikyu, you did your best." Mimikyu returned to his ball and Collin picked his next Pokemon. "Go Salazzle!" he shouted. Salazzle came out of the ball and the Stealth Rocks already attacked the lizard Pokemon, making it hiss in pain. "Arceus I hate Stealth Rock so much."

"You'll hate this even more! Thunder Wave!" Another small bolt of lightning shot down on Salazzle, but this time, Salazzle dodged the attack.

"YES! NOW USE FLAMETHROWER!" shouted Collin. Flame shot out of Salazzle's mouth and hit Magenzone, burning it up and knocking it out no problem. "YES!" he cheered.

"Return Magenzone, well done out there." said Kukui and the Pokemon returned to it's ball. "Got to say Collin, this is one fired up match! Already this is in my top five!" he said smiling.

"Don't judge just yet, it's not over!" said Collin, smirking.

"Of course not! Go Snorlax!" Out came the massive Pokemon as it let out a big yawn. "Come on big guy let's get serous here!" shouted Kukui and the Snorlax stood up and at attention.

"Oh boy this is going to be tricky. Salazzle, try to burn it with Flamethrower!" Salazzle spat flames at the large Pokemon, yet there was no chance of it burning. "Damn!" he said.

"Body Slam!" shouted Kukui. Snorlax jumped into the air and crashed down on Salazzle hard before she got a chance to move, defeating the Pokemon in no time flat.

"Return Salazzle! You need a rest after that attack!" Collin had only two usable Pokemon on his side now, with Nebby as a small backup. He needed to be smart about this. Knowing Snorlax had Body Slam, Collin made up his mind. "Go Decidueye!" Out came the bird Pokemon and it flexed he flexed his wings, ready for battle. "Use Leaf Blade!" he shouted. Decidueye's wing sharpened and it sliced at Snorlax, but not showing enough damage.

"Heavy Slam!" shouted Kukui. Snorlax jumped into the air and it's stomach turned into pure steel.

"Dodge!" shouted Collin. Decidueye managed to dodge out of the way just in time. Between the many Leaf Blades and Crunch attacks, the Snorlax finally went down, but Decidueye was extremely weak from all the attacking and being attacked. Both Pokemon returned to their balls, leaving both Trainers with one usable Pokemon left each.

"It's come down to this then. I wonder what faith will give us today." said Kukui, rubbing his thumb over the last Poke Ball.

"Only one way to find out." said Collin, gripping his Poke Ball tight. With a nod, the two were ready to fight. With one last hurrah, they threw their last members.

"GO INCINEROAR!"

"GO EMPOLEON!" The two last Pokemon appeared on the arena, starring at each other with fire in their eyes. It all came down to skill and type advantage. "Okay let's end this with a bang! Hydro Pump!" shouted Collin. A jet of water shot out from Empoleon's mouth and headed straight towards Incineroar.

"Dodge and use Darkest Lariat!" shouted Kukui. Incineroar did managed to dodge the Hydro Pump and began to spin towards Empoleon and slam him onto the ground. "Now's our chance! UNLEASH Z MOVE!" he shouted as he twisted the Firium Z-Crystal on his Z-Ring and preformed the fire dance, powering up Incineroar. "NOW USE INFERNO OVERDRIVE!" Incineroar shot a massive ball of fire from it's fire belt and it grew in size, so much that Empoleon had no time to get out of the way and it got hit by the massive ball of fire directly. When the smoke cleared however, Kukui couldn't believe his eyes. Empoleon was still standing, barely so. "WHAT?!"

"YEAH BUDDY! NOW LET'S GIVE HIM A TASTE OF HIS OWN MEDICINE! UNLEASH Z-MOVE!" Collin twisted the Waterium Z-Crystal and preformed the water dance, powering up Empoleon. "USE HYDRO VORTEX!" The whole arena was covered in a wall of water, trapping Incineroar in it. Empoleon swam at the Pokemon at speed, slamming it and circling around it at the same speed, causing a whirlpool around Incineroar, slamming it all over before finally spitting it out into the air and crash landing onto the hard arena floor, knocking the Pokemon out completely making Collin the victor. "YES! WELL DONE BUDDY!" He ran up to the Pokemon and gave him a long hug.

"Empoleon." said the Pokemon, sounding weak but was still proud as he returned to the ball. Kukui returned Incineroar to it's ball and smiled.

"I couldn't win though I went all out, but what a refreshing feeling!" he said, walking up to Collin. "Well done Collin, you really are the Champion of Alola. You've shown not only your own strength as a Trainer, but the bond between you and your Pokemon is just as strong. You're a Champion we can be proud of!"

"Thanks Kukui, that was one hell of a match though." said Collin taking deep breaths. "Guess I have to be the Champion for now huh?" he asked. Kukui started to look a little worried, but Collin smiled. "I guess I can hold that title for a while. But I'm not going to give it up so easily."

"Thank you cousin. This is going to be amazing. It's always been my dream to have the world see Alola and it's Pokemon. And it's finally come true!" he said, wiping his eyes. "I'm almost crying, forgive me."

"Ah you're fine. Glad I could help make the dream come true." said Collin, patting him on the back. "So, I guess Hall of Fame now right?"

"Oh yeah! Come on, let's get going so we can mark this battle down in history!" The two walked side by side to the massive teleport panel and back into the main room. There was a machine with six holes in it, the size of Poke Balls. Collin placed them in and his Pokemon and his ID was registered into the Hall of Fame as the first Champion of Alola. "Alright that's all the gritty stuff out of the way, let's head back to Iki Town and party!"

"Wait! Before we go, I want to get something from the Pokemon Center." said Collin. Kukui nodded and they exited the Pokemon League and went to the Pokemon Center. Collin got the Vulpix from Nurse Joy and they left Mount Lanakila via Charizard, heading back to Iki Town.

* * *

When they landed in Iki Town, the party looked like it already started. Everyone that Collin met on his journey was there dancing, eating and over all having a good time. There was even some fire dancing from Kiawe and his Pokemon that was really spectacular to see. Just as it was about to finish, Hapu and Lillie finally joined the party. The moment she saw Collin, she ran up to him and hugged him for dear life.

"I knew you could do it!" she said. Collin didn't say a word as he lifted her face with his hand and kissed her full on the lips for everyone to see. There was a bunch of gasps from the sight, before everyone started to cheer them on just as they broke the kiss.

"Just so everyone knows." he said, winking at Lillie. Hau walked up to him and gave him a pat on the back.

"Nice one Collin!" he said, smiling. "But get that Champion seat warm because I'm coming after it!"

"I'll be waiting!" Collin laughed and Hau went back to eating just as all the Trial Captains and Kahuna's joined the main stage and all preformed their Z-Move dances at once, even Nanu joined in though he didn't look happy about it. Everyone cheered at the sight and the party kept going. Lillie grabbed a hold of Collin and brought him off to the side.

"I think this party is going to go strong for a good while longer, but do you want to come with me to the Ruins of Conflict? I heard the bridge was finally fixed." she said.

"Sure. But why do you wanna go?"

"I think Tapu Koko is waiting to see you. After all, without it you wouldn't have gone on your Island Challenge." Collin smiled and wrapped his arm around her.

"If it wasn't for it, I wouldn't have met the best person in my life." he said. This made Lillie blush like crazy and she looked away. "Come on, let's go." The two walked side by side out of the party and up to the ruins. They walked the long path and sure enough, they got to the bridge which was indeed fixed.

"Wow, this takes me back. Back when we first met." she said sighing. "If it wasn't for Nebby, we'd never met huh?" she asked.

"It's crazy to think, but I'm glad I went out to save him." he said. With that, the two crossed the bridge and into the ruins. The structure was similar to the ruins in Poni Island, but the aura in it felt more electric. They went into the main room where they saw a statue above them, with a small wooden ladder leading up to it.

"My heart is pounding, it's like Tapu Koko is here with us." said Lillie as she walked up the ladder. She bowed before the statue and began to pray. "Great Tapu Koko, it is you who helped Cosmog live so he could become Solgaleo, the Legendary Pokemon of Alola. It was you who helped me meet Collin, someone I care about so deeply it's hard to put to words. Thank you so very, very much." She finished her prayer and walked down to meet Collin. "Now it's your turn." she said. Collin took a deep breath and walked up to the statue and bowed.

"Great Tapu Koko, if it wasn't for you I wouldn't be alive today. If it wasn't for you, I'd never would have gone on this journey. If it wasn't for you, I'd never know who my real father was. If it wasn't for you, I'd never would have met the love of my life. So thank you. Thank you so much." he said. Just as he was about to get up, he swore he heard a whisper but he couldn't make it out. He waited for something to happen, only for Lillie to call him back.

"I'm so glad you actual came here. It was a weight on my heart that has been building up since being here." she said and he walked down the ladder. "I guess we should get back to the village before people find out we are missing."

"Yeah, don't want them to think their Champion has gone." he said laughing. The two left the ruins, all the while Tapu Koko was watching them.

_You've done good Champion.....you've done good_

The two walked across the bridge with the stars lighting the way. It was peaceful as the two walked hand in hand. Collin was looking at Lillie when he realized he was forgetting something.

"Shit!" he shouted out loud ans slapped his forehead, making Lillie turn to face him.

"What? What is it?"

"I have something for you." he said turning around, taking off his bag and taking something out of it. He turned around with the object behind his back. "I know how much you want to go on your Island Challenge, so I have a little something for you." He brought his hand around and in it was the Poke Ball. Lillie's eyes widened with shock.

"Oh Arceus Collin, you didn't." she said, putting one hand up to her mouth as Collin placed the ball into her free hand.

"I did. Go on, throw it." he said. With one little swing of her arm, she threw the Poke Ball and out of it came the Vulpix. She looked around and saw Collin and Lillie looking at her. "I found her with no mother on Victory Road. I know you'll be just as good." he said.

"Oh my gosh she's so cute." said Lillie, getting down to her knees. "Come over baby." she said. The Vulpix was confused at first but slowly walked over to Lillie. She got to her hand before lightly rubbing her head on it.

"Vi!" she cried and jumped up into Lillie arms. She was almost on the verge of tears holding the little Pokemon as she kissed him on the cheek, unable to kiss him on the lips due to Vulpix.

"Collin, thank you so much!" Her smile shined so bright. But something was off and Collin knew it once that smile disappeared. She looked away from him and let out a long sigh. "I'm not doing the Island Challenge." she said.

"Oh? Why not?" he asked. Lillie couldn't even look him in the eyes at this point as tears began to form.

"Because I'll be going to Kanto tomorrow." she said. Collin felt like he was shot in the back upon hearing those words. Everything just seemed to crumble around him.

"Kanto? But why you never said anything about it before?"

"I have to go, to make sure my mother is better." she said, trying so hard to hold back the tears. "I also want to get stronger, on my own. I decided this when I saw how bad she is. She needs help and there is someone in Kanto that can help her." Collin began to pace back and forth, thinking about everything she was talking about. "Collin before you even say it, you can't go. You're the Champion of Alola, you can't give that up."

"But I'll miss you so much. You were the rock that kept me going on my Island Challenge. Every single day I wanted to stop but you kept pushing me. How can I be the Champion when you're not here?" he asked.

"Be yourself." she said, putting Vulpix down on the ground as she wrapped her arms around him to hug him. "It's going to be hard for the both of us, not just you. But I need to do this. Please Collin don't make this any more difficult than it already is." Collin looked at her with the tears in his eyes. He closed his eyes and sighed.

"Okay. You're right, this is something you have to do." he said, kissing her forehead. "But promise me this."

"What?"

"Take Vulpix, travel Kanto, and kick every Gym Leader's ass." he said, smiling. Lillie couldn't help but laugh out loud at his comment and hugged him even tighter.

"Thank you Collin, for understanding. I love you so much." she said in the crook of his neck.

"I love you too." They stayed like that for what seemed like forever. with the Vulpix just looking at them. Time just seemed to stop altogether as they hugged it out. "Wanna stay at my place for the night?" he asked.

"Sure." she whispered. They broke the hug and walked hand in hand back to the party, with no one knowing they were gone for that long.

* * *

The party ended not long after and everyone went home. Lillie told Kukui she was staying with Collin for the night before she left to Kanto, which of course he understood why. They walked down the path from Iki Town, all the way back to Collin's house, the house he wasn't even in for a month. He unlocked the door and they entered the barely lived in house.

"Welcome." he said. Lillie looked around when the lights were turned on. "Took a hell of a lot of paper work to get this place, but it's worth it."

"It's great. Very homely." she said, feeling a little awkward now that she was standing what was in short her boyfriend's house. He gave her a small tour around the place before ending up in the bedroom. They sat on the bed and looked at each other, something was sparking between them and they were wondering who was going to make the first move. It wasn't until Collin lifted her up and sat her on his lap, making her laugh. "I wish you did that more."

"Well, we got all night." he said and the two closed the massive gap and kissed. It wasn't like the kiss back in Poni Island, this was more intense, more lustful, more loving. What shocked Collin was what Lillie did next. She broke the kiss briefly and took off her shirt, with only a white bra on. "W-W-What are you doing?" he asked, blushing bright red.

"Making myself more comfortable." she said, winking. She then began to lift off his own shirt, showing the scar across his well toned chest. "I could look at this all day." she said, starring at his chest. Collin was getting even more red.

"Lillie, look at me for a second." She pried her eyes away from his chest and looked at him. "I know what you want to do....but now isn't the time." he said.

"What do you mean?"

"I want to make love with you right here, right now. But you're going away tomorrow and it would seem extremely bad. I want our first time to be the day you come back to Alola." he said bluntly. Lillie smiled at him, feeling relieved.

"I was worried about that. I thought this would have been something you wanted." she said blushing.

"Of course not. A first time is supposed to be special. I don't want the guilt of doing it and you leaving tomorrow.....you are coming back to Alola right?" he asked, looking a little worried.

"Of course I am dummy. I'm not staying away for ever." she said. "Still, we can make this night something we can't forget."

"Hell yeah." he said and they went back to kissing. They decided to strip the rest of their clothes, leaving only their underwear on. The feeling of less clothing made everything a lot more passionate and free as they explored their half naked bodies. They were tangled around each other, barely breaking for air as they continued to kiss. It wasn't until Lillie began to slow down and yawn that said enough was enough.

"Arceus....if you told me I'd be on your bed, kissing the daylights out of you, I'd laugh." she said laughing anyway. "It's so weird thinking about it, I never thought I'd get a boyfriend."

"You, Lillie Aether, with a personality that is absolutely perfect? You're selling yourself short!" said Collin, yawning. "It's been a long fucking day I swear. Saving your mother and Guzma, Champion Battle, the party, this.....I could sleep for a lifetime."

"Then we better get some sleep, the ship is supposed to leave at 10AM tomorrow."

"Alright, get into the covers." The two finally got into the bed, looking at each other. "I wished we did this more often. I've slept so much better with you by my side." he confessed.

"I'm the same. But keep it up for a another while longer, and we'll sleep better for the rest of our lives." she said, yawning again. "Goodnight Collin, I love you."

"Love you too babe." he said, giving her one final kiss as they fell asleep in each others arms, enjoying their final night together for a very long time.

* * *

The morning sun broke through the window, waking Lillie from her slumber. She looked at her phone to see a text from Wicke, stating that the ship is docked and Lusamine was on board. She looked at the time to see it was 9AM. Her eyes widened and she jumped out of bed, waking Collin up.

"WHAT THE HELL!?" shouted Collin as he fell out of bed. "Lillie what's wrong?!"

"Sorry Collin but we only have an hour to go! Can I use your shower?!" she asked. Collin barely nodded before she rushed into the bathroom and he could hear running water. He decided to throw on the same clothes he was wearing yesterday, making sure to take a shower when he came back. Five minutes later, she finally came out, looking refreshed and her clothes alright on.

"You ready?" he asked.

"Yeah. I just got another text from Kukui saying he'll meet me." she said, packing her bag and getting Vulpix's Poke Ball ready. She took a deep breath and looked at Collin. "Let's go." They walked out of the house, locking the door and made their way to Hau'oli City pier. While it wasn't a long walk, it felt like hours to them as they saw the ship on the pier. They spotted Kukui and with him, a very teary eyed Hau.

"LILLIE! WHY ARE YOU GOING TO KANTO!?" he shouted, running up to her. "DO YOU NOT LOVE IT HERE ANYMORE?!"

"Of course I love it here Hau, but I need to go with my mother. I'm so sorry I didn't tell you, I thought it was for the best." she said. Hau began to wipe his eyes as the tears continued to fall.

"I'm going to write to you every day!" he said, which made Lillie giggle.

"I look forward to it." Kukui walked up to the small group and sighed.

"You sure you want to do this Lillie? Kanto is a big region and is extremely different." he asked.

"Yes Professor, I'm sure. I'm going to become a real Trainer and travel Kanto and watch over my mother. And when I'm finished and she's recovered, I'll come back and do the Island Challenge to prove how strong I've become. Just watch, I'll be a strong Trainer like you Professor, and Hau, and Collin." She walked up to Hau and took something out of her bag. "Here Hau, take these." Out of her bag was a bag of Malasada's. "They are made by Wicke herself, she said you loved them. I helped a little bit."

"Thank you Lillie! I be sure to remember you when I eat them." said Hau, his tears finally drying up. She then turned to Collin and took out a plush toy and handed it to him.

"This is for you. It's worn out, but it was my most treasured belongings." she said. Everything came crashing down on her at that point and she tackled him into a hug, crying her eyes out. "I'm going to miss you so much!"

"I'll miss you too. I'll text you every day until you come home. I swear it." The ship's horn started to blear, meaning that time was up. "I guess this is goodbye for now."

"Yes...for now." she said, kissing him one more time. "Goodbye Collin, I love you."

"I love you too." With that, Lillie walked onto the ship and waved them off. A few minutes later, the ship cast off from the pier and headed for Kanto. Collin just starred out at sea while Hau sat down on a bench.

"It's so unfair." he said, still upset. Kukui walked over to Hau and sat down beside him.

"I know what it's like Hau to say goodbye to someone, but you got to be strong because soon enough she'll be back." he said. This perked Hau up and he began to smile.

"Yeah. You're right!" Hau then turned to Collin, who started to walk away from the water and past Hau and Kukui. "Hey, where are you going?" he asked.

"Home." he said, sounding upset. "Kukui, when do I have to challenge someone?"

"Not until tomorrow. Why?"

"I need a day to myself." he said, walking from the pier leaving the two behind. The walk from the pier to his house seemed so much longer as he carried the little plush toy home. He unlocked the door and slammed himself onto the couch and just sat there. He noticed something on the the coffee table that he didn't see before. A letter witten on the back of a photo. Said photo was the picture Rotom took when he got the camera function, the one with Collin, Lillie and Hau. He turned it around to read the letter.

_Everyone's smiles shine so brightly. Those smiles led us to so many other people. And those meetings will lead us to a bright future. I _'m so glad I got to meet everyone. I'm so glad I got to meet you_. I love you with all my heart. May we meet again and spend the rest of our lives together.-Lillie  
_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there we go. I hope that was a good way to end the main plot. I'll be taking another break (sorry!) but the fic isn't over just yet. We still have the Ultra Beasts to take care off and Collin is gonna need some help, and he knows the person and the team that can do it. Reviews and comments of any nature are welcomed and as always, I'll see you in the next chapter. Cheerio!


	31. Back-up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So what does one do when you become bored of being the Champion of Alola? Find out today. Enjoy!

**Chapter 31-Back-up**

A month. A whole month has past since Collin became Champion. A whole month since Lillie left for Alola. A whole month since Collin, as he puts it, "started sitting on my ass all day sometimes getting up.", facing new challengers to take the Champion title off him. None have managed to do so, not yet. And if he was honest, he was bored already. The last challenger for two weeks just left and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank fucking Arceus." he said as he left his chair and exited the League. Despite the text messages and emails from Lillie about her time in Kanto and how her mom is, he couldn't help but feel empty inside now that she was gone for who knows how long. Not wanting to waste any more time, he called Charizard and he flew back home to rest for the next two weeks. When he landed just outside his house, there was somebody standing next to it. A shifty looking old man that looked like he was ready to book it any second from now. Collin paid no attention to him and walked past him.

"Psst!" he whispered to Collin as he walked past him. "You Collin Clarkson?" said the old man. It got his attention and he turned to the old man.

"Who wants to know?" he asked.

"No time, just come to the motel on Akala Island." said the old man and he ran off into Hau'oli City. Collin just stood there, wondering what the hell just happened. Then it dawned on him, the old man said his full name. Not many people know his full name, none of them being old men, aside from Professors of course. There was only one other person the old man could be, and it pissed him off if it was who he was thinking of. Getting back on Charizard, he flew away from his home and all the way to the motel on Akala Island. He thanked Charizard as it flew off. He slowly walked up to the door and hesitated for a few seconds.

"Please don't be him please don't be him please don't be him." he said as he slowly opened the door. "Please don't be him please don't be him please don't be-OH FOR FUCK SAKE!" he shouted as he saw who was in the room. "Hello Looker." he said with venom in his voice.

"So you actually came...." said Looker, who was talking to someone else in the room. "I'm actually glad I found you on such short notice."

"Yeah I bet you fucking are." Collin crossed his arms and his toe began to tap, growing more angrier by the second. "So let me guess, you want me to go all over Alola to do YOUR dirty work.....AGAIN!?" Looker looked like he was about to speak, but Collin cut him off. "I'm right aren't I? What did I say to you the last time I met you?"

"Stay the hell away from you." said Looker, repeating what Collin told him.

"Yeah, and clearly you didn't listen." The woman next to Looker stood in front of the two to stop anything happening.

"Listen Mr Clarkson." said the woman. "We need your help. I'm Anabel, chief of the International Police, and-"

"Wait.......Anabel?" said Collin, cutting her off. "You aren't THE Anabel from Hoenn's Frontier Brain, right?" he asked. Anabel looked confused for a second, before catching on to what he was talking about.

"I'm not that Anabel, it's a long story and we don't have time to go into detail now." she said, brushing off his question. "We have received word from our sources that you have encountered an Ultra Beast, more specific UB-01 Symbiont otherwise known as Nihilego."

"And? What's your point?" asked Collin.

"We have reports of Ultra Beast sightings around Alola. Not many people know how to handle them, they are extremely dangerous that can attack without warning. And yet they need to be protected from harm. You are the only one we can trust to handle the situation." said Looker. "Please Collin, help us take care of the Ultra Beasts." Collin began to pace around the room, thinking of an answer.

"Why should I?" he asked. This caught both Looker and Anabel off guard. "Why should I help you with YOUR jobs? Why should I, someone who isn't police, do police business?" he asked. The two stayed silent, unable to answer him. "I remember back in Sinnoh when you asked me to help you Looker. I said "sure why not." thinking it would be small things. But nope, I had to take down Team Galactic while you played on the fucking slots! Then in Unova, I just got back from saving it from some dickhead with the mentality of a mad king and you had me going all over the place finding the sages. Then, not that long ago in Kalos, you had me go up and down that fucking city looking for someone every damn day. And now you want me to possibly go all over Alola, looking and taking down these alien like Pokemon? Ya can fuck off!" he shouted. Looker and Anabel looked at each other, unable to defend for themselves. It wasn't until Anabel stood up beside him.

"Look, we really need you to help us. There is no one we know that can do it better than you." she said, placing her hands on his shoulders. "Please, help us one last time. We'll make it worth your while." Collin looked away from her, signing and closing his eyes.

"Fine. But this is the last time I help you with anything." he said, still sounding annoyed.

"Thank you Collin." said Looker. "As of now we have yet to get word on any sighting of UB-01, so you should prepare yourself for this." he said. Collin leaned up to the wall and began to think about his task.

"I'll need back up. There is no way in hell I'll be able to take those things down on my own." he said. "And I think I know just the person."

"Is it anyone we know? If so we can call them." said Anabel, getting her phone out.

"No, you don't. The problem is, I have no clue where he is......but I have a fair idea where he might be."

* * *

Walking through the rain, Collin was looking around Po Town. The place was almost empty, hardly any life could be seen. It made the place look a lot more depressing than what it already was. He felt that coming here was pointless, until someone appeared behind him.

"What are you doing here?" said the person, making Collin jump out of his skin and turn around to see Plumeria.

"Fuck you scared me Plumeria!" he shouted, shaking himself off as the drops of water fell of his shirt.

"Glad I got something off ya." she said, smirking. "Back to my question, what are you doing here?"

"I'm looking for Guzma. Any idea where he is?" he asked. Plumeria looked at him with her eyes narrowing.

"Why do you need him?"

"Ugh, some fucking idiots of the International Police want me to find and take down those Ultra Beasts and I need back up." he said. Plumeria looked like she was going to flip.

"Oh no, you're not getting him involved with those Ultra Beasts again!" she shouted.

"Look I know how bad they affected him, but I need his help." he said, almost begging. "He's one of the strongest Trainers I know. Please Plumeria, tell me where he is and I'll make it up to you." Plumeria sighed and looked at him dead in the eyes.

"Okay, I'll tell you were he is IF you actually talk with him and get to know him. For his sake." she said.

"I will. I promise I will. Now where is he?"

"He's at his childhood home on Mele Mele, Route 2." Collin summoned Charizard and hopped onto it's back, just as Plumeria stopped him from leaving. "Be careful. His dad is.......something." she said, looking from him.

"I'm sure I can handle it. Thanks Plumeria." He got back on Charizard and flew back to Mele Mele and landed on Route 2. He looked around to see if he could spot the house Plumeria was talking about, however he got no luck. That was the case until he heard the sound of banging coming from one house.

"HOW DARE YOU SHOW YOUR FACE HERE YOU LITTLE SHIT!" shouted an old gruff voice.

"Honey leave him alone!" said another old, female sounding voice.

"Listen old man, I don't have to deal with your shit! I'm just packing the rest of my stuff and getting the fuck out!" shouted the voice of Guzma. The next thing he heard was the sound of something steel.

"DON'T YOU TALK TO ME LIKE THAT!" shouted the old man.

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" shouted the woman. Collin had enough of this and ran into the house. The sight he saw made him sick. There was a big old guy, standing over a woman on the floor, with Guzma lying on the ground. The old man looked up and Collin and his eyes glared at him.

"Who the fuck are you?!" he demanded. Collin kept his cool has he reached for his phone.

"The one who's going to call the police if you don't back the fuck away from my dad." he said, fully unaware what he actually said for a second before it dawned on him. The silence in the room was deadly, not a word or breath was made. Until the old man broke it.

"Heh, so you're the shit that whore popped out." he said with a smirk across his face. That smirk was quickly gone as Collin's fist met his face, knocking him to the ground and out cold.

"Don't talk about my mom like that." he said with a dark voice. He went over to Guzma and picked him up from the ground, slinging his arm across his shoulder and turning to face the woman. "Do yourself a favor, leave him." he said.

"Y-Y-Yes. Thank you!" she said, still unsure if she should move. He and Guzma left the house and the fresh air was a blessing from what happened in there. He let go of Guzma who struggled to stand.

"You alright?" he asked.

"The hell are you doing here boy?" asked Guzma. "How did you even find me? Why are you even here?" he asked.

"Plumeria told me." Guzma just grunted at the fact. "As for why I'm here, I need your help." Guzma looked at Collin like he had three heads.

"You want my help? You want me, Big Bad Guzma, to help you?" he said, laughing. "What am I a pity case?"

"Look just hear me out." said Collin. Guzma nodded slowly and Collin began to explain. "The International Police wants me to deal with some Ultra Beasts that have been spotted in Alola. And I want you to help me take care of them." Guzma's eyes widened at the request and let out a laugh.

"Oh that's a big fucking nope for me. Do you remember what happened in that Ultra Wormhole?" he asked. He didn't wait for Collin to answer. "Why do you even want my help? I thought you wanted nothing to do with me. Not that I blame you." A wave of guilt flowed through Collin after he said that.

"I want you to help me because you're one of the strongest Trainers I know. And I'm being serous here, our first battle and you almost took me down. With your help it will be over before you know it." he said. Guzma grunted for a moment and looked away. "Please Guzma, I'll make it worth your while. Plus, you can talk to me. Father to son." Guzma looked at him with his eyes wide.

"You see me as a father now?" he asked, sounding unsure with a slight bit of hopefulness.

"....it's hard to right now. But help me and talk with me, and we'll see where it goes." said Collin.

"....alright I'll help." said Guzma. "So what's the plan?" he asked. Collin wasn't sure what to do next aside from go back to the motel, but something has been bothering him.

"Thing is, I don't think my current team can handle them. They struggled last time and honestly, they are tired from all the battles ever since I became Champion." he explained. "So they need the rest."

"So what are you going to do?" asked Guzma.

"....I'm going to need some old friends."

* * *

"Collin! So glad to hear from you! I heard you became Champion of Alola!" said Professor Oak over the phone.

"Yeah no time to explain Professor, I need a favor." said Collin, with Guzma standing beside him.

"Oh? What's the favor?"

"I need some of my old team. Send me Electivire, Gliscor, Gardevoir, Empoleon, Kelfki......" he said, before taking a heavy sigh. "...and Onslaught." he said, sounding slightly worried.

".....okay." said Professor Oak, sounding a little worried as well. "Must be something big if you want HIM. I'll send them over to Kukui's lab."

"Thanks Professor. I wish I could talk more but this is important. I'll talk to you soon." he said hanging up the phone. Guzma looked at Collin with confusion in his eyes.

"Who the hell is Onslaught?" he asked

".....you'll see. Come on let's get to Kukui's lab." The two walked side by side through Hau'oli City, getting looks from people they past by. "Looks like no one is forgetting Team Skull any time soon." Guzma only grunted at the comment. Collin looked at him and noticed something different. "Your glasses are fixed."

"I had a spare pair." he said. "Look can we just get your team and get going?" Collin shrugged and they continued their way to Kukui's lab. When they got there, Kukui was already standing outside, waiting for them.

"Cousin!" he shouted, greeting Collin. He then turned to Guzma and frowned. "Guzma."

"Kukui." he said with a gruff sounding voice. Collin knew this wasn't the best of times so he decided to make this quick.

"You got the team?" he asked. Kukui checked his pockets and took out six small Poke Balls and handed them to Collin.

"Mind if you show me the team?" he asked, sounding hopeful.

"Sure." He pressed the button on the balls and they grew in his hand. He looked at one ball in particular. "You better behave yourself." he said before throwing all six Poke Balls into the air. Out came Electivire, Gliscor, Gardevoir, Empoleon, Kelfki and Onslaught, better known as Hydreigon. They all looked around, confused about where they are until they saw Collin and rushed towards him. "HOLD IT!" he shouted before they all pushed him down on the ground, hugging him. "GUYS! I CAN'T BREATHE!" he shouted.

".......some team." said Guzma, starring at the Hydreigin.

"It looks powerful." said Kukui, jaw almost hitting the floor. "Glad I didn't face that team in the League." he said. All of Collin's Pokemon got off him, allowing himself to get off from the ground.

"Alright, I guess I should tell you why you are here." he said. "You are hear because you are the best of the best. I need you to help me take down some of the strongest creatures we ever came across. Will you help me?" All his Pokemon cried and nodded at the same time. "Thanks lads and lassies. Return." he said and they all returned to their balls. He strapped them to his now empty belt and was ready to go. "Ready Guzma?"

"Not really, but I got no choice." he said as Collin summoned Charizard and the two got on it's back. They flew off into the sky and headed to Akala Island to begin their first mission.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is really short compared to the last chapter and I'm sorry for that, I feel like I'm slowly losing my spark for this fic. But it's close to finishing and I'm not going to stop. But I will be taking my time, possibly two days before a chapter is uploaded. I hope you understand. Anyway, reviews and comments of any nature are welcomed and as always, I'll see you in the next Chapter. Cheerio!


	32. Update

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A small update for you all

**Hey everyone! Sorry this isn't a new chapter, but I have a bit of bad news. I'm gonna be taking an extended break from the story. I lost the spark of creativity with it and I need time to think of more. I do hope you understand. I shouldn't be gone for long though and if I'm honest, I am glad that I at least got the main plot done, that's more than I thought I could do. I hope to come back as soon as I can with new chapters. Thank you for reading and I'll see you in the next chapter. Cheerio!**


	33. Playtime with a space squid

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I'm back and ready to kick ass! Thanks for waiting. I'll be trying my best to finish this fic by next week so we can move on to the next fic in the story. So these are going to be short chapters, due to how short the situation will be, aside from the last two. I hope you understand. Enjoy the chapter

**Chapter 32-Playtime with space squid  
**

Landing just outside of the Akala motel, Collin and Guzma gave their thanks to Charizard and entered the room. Only Anabel was present and when she saw who was standing beside Collin, she looked like she was ready to attack.

"HALT!" she shouted, making Guzma jump. "Guzma, leader of Team Skull you are under arrest." She got out handcuffs and walked over to him, with Guzma backing away.

"Hold on there! I ain't going to jail when I done nothing!" he said, continuing to back away. It wasn't until Collin got in between the two that made them stop.

"Anabel, if you arrest him you can forget about me helping you." he said bluntly. Anabel was taken aback by his boldness but stood her ground.

"You do realize that this man is a criminal?"

"Of course. But he's strong enough to take these things down. So either you let him help me, or you get no help at all." Guzma was shocked. No one has ever stood up for him in such a way. Even that, he never seen anyone stand up to the fucking police and still have the high ground. Anabel looked like she was ready to talk back, but seeing as there was no choice, she kept her comment to herself and sighed.

"Fine. But one wrong move and he's out." she said, Collin not answering, seeming like he doesn't care. "As of now we are waiting for Looker to come by with the location of the first Ultra Beast. He should be here any moment now." Just as she said that, the door flung open and hit the wall with a bang. Standing by it was Looker, looking all sweaty and out of breath.

"È un disastro!" he shouted, getting confusing looks from everyone in the room.

"Looker, in English please." said Anabel.

"Sorry! It's a bad habit. But we are in trouble! We just got word about a UB sighting right here in Akala Island. From what we are told, it was seen near the exit of Diglett Tunnel. Who knows what can happen!" he said, almost running around the place in a panic. Anabel sighed at the sight.

"Looker, calm down." she said with a stern voice. "You two, get ready for anything. Take these." She handed weird looking Poke Balls, the same ones that looked like the one Lusamine had back in Ultra Space. "Wicke of the Aether Foundation gifted these to you to catch the Ultra Beasts. They are called Beast Balls, the only ball that can catch them. Take good care of them and only use them when there is an opening."

"Thanks Anabel. Where's the Ultra Beast sighted again?" asked Collin.

"Outside Diglett Tunnel, close to the Ruins." said Looker, finally catching his breath. "Be careful, these things are powerful."

"I know. Let's get going Guzma." Guzma remained silent throughout the whole thing but followed Collin out of the motel. "We'll walk the way, no point in calling Charizard because it's so close." The two walked along the path, with something bothering Guzma.

"Why did you stop her from trying to cuff me?" he asked. Collin chuckled at the question.

"Like I said, I wouldn't have helped them if they did." he said. "That and I want to get to know you more. If this is going to work, we need to talk. You up for it? We got a while before we reach the Tunnel."

"I guess. What do you want to talk about?"

"What was mom like with you?" asked Collin. The question made Guzma stop for a second, not expecting it so soon. "I mean we have to talk about this sooner or later. But honestly, what was she like?"

"A diamond. That's the best way to say it." he said, walking along side him. "You know how my old man was back there? Every time something like that happened, she'd take care of me. She was my rock, my sanity."

"I can imagine." said Collin, continuing along the path. Something came across his mind and it caused him to frown. "I guess I wasn't planned then huh?" Guzma looked at his son, or possible son, maybe, in the face unsure how to answer.

".....I would be lying if I said you were. But it's not a bad thing, I mean your here and...." he said, stumbling over his words. "Look I'm not good at explaining it. Sorry."

"No, I get you. Let's focus on this for now and we'll come back to it after. Maybe you'll be able to explain yourself better." Without another word, the two continued their way to Diglett's Tunnel, ready to face whatever was waiting for them.

* * *

After what felt like ages, they two made it out of Diglett's Tunnel the first thing they heard was the sound of children laughing. Collin looked to his right and saw a group of kids running around and laughing. At first he didn't pay attention, until he saw what was next to them. An Ultra Beast, the same Ultra Beast that attacked him at Aether. Instantly, his protective instincts kicked in.

"KIDS! GET AWAY FROM THAT THING!" he shouted. This caught the attention of the kids and the Ultra Beast. "THAT THING IS DANGEROUS!"

"But mister, we are playing with our new friend!" said one of the boys. "He hasn't done anything wrong."

"Not yet, but these things can hurt you really badly. You should step aside while I take care of this!" he said, almost snarling at the scared looking Ultra Beast. "Guzma, have my back."

"Yeah.....sure." he said, unsure how to feel about the situation.

"Okay, go Gardevoir!" Out came the Pokemon, showing her beauty to everyone around her. "Okay, let's try to make this quick! Psychic!" he shouted. Gardevoir attempted to use her psychic attack on the Ultra Beast, but before she could even try the kids stood in front of the scared Ultra Beast. "Kids! I said get away from it!"

"NO!" a little girl shouted. "He's afraid! He was lonely and we wanted to play with him! He's done nothing to us!" she claimed. Collin had a good look at the kids and noticed there wasn't any signs of pin openings on their skin. However, Collin wasn't convinced.

"Maybe so kids, but I can't risk having you getting hurt with this thing around." he said, ready to attack again. Suddenly, Guzma stepped in front of him. "Guzma, the hell are you doing?"

"Listen to the kids!" he said, louder that he was supposed to. "Look I don't like this either but we have to take their word. Can't your Pokemon talk to it?" he asked. Collin began to think about it and let out a sigh.

"Fine. Gardevoir, see if you can get anything out of the Ultra Beast. If it attempts to attack you, don't hesitate." Gardevoir nodded and slowly walked over to the Ultra Beast. Gardevoir seemed to be surprised that it could understand her, and vice versa. She spent about a minute talking to the Ultra Beast before coming back to Collin, using her psychic abilities to tell Collin what was told. His eyes widened at the fact.

"Well, what did she say?" asked Guzma.

"The kids were right. It means no harm. It just wants to go home." he said, feeling guilty about the situation. He slowly walked over to the Ultra Beast and faced it. "Sorry about that, you don't blame me for thinking this right?" The Beast seemed to nod, understanding what Collin said. "Well, I can take you home." he said, taking out a Beast Ball and lightly tapping it onto it's head. It entered the ball and in a few shakes, it was captured.

"Well.....that was anti-climatic." said Guzma. "I was for sure we were going to have a battle."

"Honestly, same. Then again something like this is way better than an actual fight. Thank our lucky stars that this one was playful and not the ones we saw in Ultra Space." he said. He turned to the kids and bent down to see them face to face. "Sorry kids, I shouldn't have yelled at you."

"That's okay mister. Will Jelly be going home?" asked one of the kids. Collin laughed at the nickname they gave to the Beast and smiled.

"Yeah, Jelly is going home. Thanks for looking after him."

"No problem mister!" The kids ran off to play again, leaving Guzma and Collin on their own.

"You must be good with kids huh?" said Guzma.

"I guess." replied Collin. "I mean I'd like to have a kid one day, but that's then, this is now. We better get back to Tweedledee and Tweedlestupid." Guzma couldn't help but let out a loud laugh at the names he gave Looker and Anabel.

"I'm totally stealing that! Who's who?" he asked.

"Whichever one you decided." he said, laughing at his own joke. The two finished up their work and made the long journey back to the motel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, I hope this was good enough for a comeback. I hope to be able to get back into the swing of things soon. Reviews and comments of any nature are welcomed and as always, I'll see you in the next chapter. Cheerio!


	34. Posing with a bug

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> On to the next Ultra Beasts. This is gonna be a fun chapter to write and I really hope you enjoy it.

**Chapter 33-Posing with a bug**

After the trek back to the motel, they walked in and where greeted by Anabel again, who was looking over some reports.

"Did you have any trouble?" she asked

"Not at all. Thing was harmless." said Collin, handing over the Beast Ball. "It was playing with some kids, no harm whatsoever."

"Hmm.....interesting. But still, thanks. So far there hasn't been a report of another Ultra Beast, though Looker is currently trying to gather information.....that or he's getting food." she said with a giggle.

"Wow the International Police is more relaxed than Nanu." said Guzma, scoffing at how the situation was being handled. "So now what?"

"Well I suggest you take a rest, Looker should be back any moment now." she said. Collin and Guzma decided to take out some chairs and sit in the room in silence, while Anabel worked on paperwork.

"So.......anything happen in your life?" asked Guzma. Collin wasn't sure what he meant at first but realized and sighed.

"A lot. I can't seem to go anywhere without getting into some kind of trouble. I don't know how to explain it." he said. "Let's say going into Ultra Space isn't the biggest thing I ever done in my life."

"Heh, sounds like quite the life son." said Guzma, before covering his mouth after realizing what he said. ".....sorry. Slip of the tongue." Collin didn't really react to the outburst, but didn't look at Guzma either.

"It's okay. I don't think I'm ready for that just yet."

"Fine by me. I'll try not to say it again." Guzma couldn't help but laugh, which confused Collin. "Sorry, it's just......I can't keep my tough act around you. You reminded me of Mary." he explained.

"I was wondering. You seem different compared to when I first met you." he said. "Sorry that you had to hear about it from me. About mom's......you know." Collin felt a twinged of guilt and sadness run through him when he said that.

"It's fine, I haven't really talked to her in years. She never sent me letters or even called me. Even still, I did love her." explained Guzma. "If you don't mind me asking, how did she die?" Collin took a breath and thought about his answer.

"Honestly, who knows. There was no evidence of someone attacking her. But....I remember them saying she was poisoned. By what they couldn't find out before it was out of her system. Turns out she could have been dead for a week before I found her. I don't understand it myself." he said. Guzma looked just as confused.

"Any idea who could have done it?" he asked.

"Well there is one person, but I don't think it was him. Something doesn't add up." Collin was taken out of his train of thought when the door slammed opened and a sweaty, out of breath Looker was standing there....again.

"C’est une catastrophe!" he shouted.

"Looker, in English....again." said Anabel, not looking amused.

"Is this going to be a thing with you?" asked Collin.

"Sorry! I can't help it, but there's no time! We have a problem. UB-02 Buzzwole has been spotted at Melemele Meadow by the Kahuna. I hanged up as soon as he told me and ran here as fast as I could. We need to get to Melemele now!" he shouted.

"Damn. Alright you two, we are relocating to Melemele Motel on Route 2. You go to Melemele Meadow and see if you can take down the Ultra Beast. Report to us with the Captured Beast once you finish your job. We'll see you then." The two officers left the motel, leaving Guzma and Collin behind.

"See the shit I have to put up with?" said Collin. "Come on, let's get going."

".....yeah....sure." said Guzma, looking unsure about something, but there was no time. Collin used his pager to summon Charizard and the two flew off the Melemele Garden.

* * *

When the two landed in the Meadow, there was a large crowd gathered. The two couldn't even see what was going on there was so many people. Guzma was getting impatient and started pushing past people.

"Hey, out of the way!" he shouted pushing past people. Collin took this chance to follow the path of angry people being pushed aside. Not long after, the two go to the center of the crowd and couldn't believe what they were seeing. Hala, was standing beside what looked like a massive bug Pokemon, and they were flexing. They flexed in many different poses until Hala noticed Collin.

"Ah ha! Collin, come over here! I want you to meet my new friend!" he said, calling the Champion over. "You too Guzma, don't think I can't see you." Guzma groaned and followed Collin in the ring.

"Hala what the hell is going on?" asked Guzma.

"Glad you asked. This here fellow came down a month ago, before Collin became Champion. He's been hanging around the Meadow ever since. Recently however, he's been wanting to have a flex off, and I'm happy to challenge him." he said, while laughing.

"So Buzzwole hasn't attacked anyone?" asked Collin.

"Not to my knowledge. Though I do want him to leave soon just in case, but I gather that he doesn't want to leave unless someone can match his flexing abilities." This stumped Collin for a moment, before Guzma let out a laugh.

"Heh, I may not be able to do it, but I know someone who can." he said, taking out a Poke Ball. "Go Golisopod!" shouted Guzma and out came the massive bug Pokemon. "Okay buddy, let's show him your muscles! Collin, you got someone who could help?"

"I think I do." he said, getting one of his own Pokemon out. "Go Empoleon!" he shouted. Out came the Empoleon, who looked slightly older and wiser compared to his son.

"That the same Empoleon you used?" asked Hala.

"Nope, this is the father of that Empoleon." he explained. "Empoleon, let's flex those wings of yours!" he said. Empoleon stood beside Golisopod and they began to do flexing poses. Buzzwole caught onto this and began to match their pose. They changed posed every so often, their muscles showing and ripping. The crowd was amazed by the sight of three big and powerful Pokemon, flexing their muscles. It took about five minutes before someone pulled out, and it was Buzzwole, it couldn't handled the might of two flexing Pokemon. The crowd cheered and clapped

"Well done you two! I think Buzzwole has admitted defeat." said Hala, laughing at the sight. The crowd slowly, but surely left the Meadow, leaving only Hala, Guzma, Collin and the Pokemon

"Alright Buzzwole, ready to go home?" asked Collin. Buzzwole did one final flex before nodding. Collin pressed the Beast Ball on it's chest and in three shakes, the Ultra Beast was captured. "Well that was a lot less stressful compared to the last one."

"Thank Arceus. Let's get going, I don't want to have those two down our necks longer than they should." he said. Just as they were about to leave, Hala placed his hand on Guzma shoulder.

"I haven't seen you in a while Guzma. I see you have given up on Team Skull huh?" he asked.

"It wasn't like that." he responded. "Things happened old man. Now what do you want?" Hala only shook his head.

"The question is, what do you want?" Guzma was taken aback by this question. "Some of your grunts have taken up training with me, to be better Trainers. It's what they want. But what do you want?" Guzma looked at Collin for a second, then looked back at Hala.

"To have a family. A proper family." he said. Collin looked at Guzma, feeling even more guilty about how they first met each other. He could tell Guzma is trying his best. Maybe he should try too.

"Well I hope it happens soon Guzma. I best be off, got Kahuna duties to attend to." he said before walking past Collin. "I'll see you at the League!" Hala waved at Collin and left him with Guzma.

"Old man never lost that attitude." said Guzma. "Let's go." Collin didn't say a word and the two left the Meadow, heading to the motel. Collin was still thinking about opening up to Guzma....after all.....he is family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again I'm so sorry these chapters are short, but I swear they will get longer soon. Reviews and comments of any nature are welcomed and as always, I'll see you in the next chapter


	35. Dancing Electricity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So how about some dancing eh?......trust me, you'll see what I mean. Enjoy the chapter!

**Chapter 34-Dancing Electricity**

A short walk later, the two reached the motel to see Looker and Anabel writing down on some paperwork. Something inside Collin sparked off and he stamped his foot down, causing the two officers to look up at him.

"Okay seriously! This is the second Ultra Beast we've come across and it's not attacked anyone!" he shouted. "I feel like I just wasted my time bring my old team back from their holiday to fight these things. Hell, you two could do it!" Looker looked at Anabel, seeming like he was looking for confirmation from her. With a nod, Looker walked over to the two and sighed.

"The reason why Anabel, at least, can't help is because she had an accident with them in the past. Remember when I said she wasn't the same Anabel from this world?" he asked. Collin nodded but Guzma looked confused. "Well, she fell through an Ultra Wormhole after facing an Ultra Beast known as Guzzlord. Ever since then her memory has been messed up and whenever she gets near an Ultra Beast, it nearly kills her." Collin felt guilty after this realization, bashing her for something she can't control.

"Okay, that's explains her. But why can't you?" he asked. Looker looked away for a moment.

"Because I don't have my Pokemon anymore." was all he said before leaving the motel. Collin had no idea what just happened, but Anabel came to their side.

"He lost his Pokemon a few years back to some small gang. They got him good and his Pokemon protected him, before getting killed. Ever since then he's never used a Pokemon in his life." she explained.

"Damn.....that rough." said Guzma, sitting down on a chair. Collin follow suit, not feeling too well for bashing the two for the last few hours. Guzma saw this in him instantly. "Hey, come on. You didn't know, I didn't know. Don't feel so down about it."

"I guess.....still." said Collin, looking down to the ground. "I just assumed that they were lazy."

"Well you know what they say about assuming?" said Guzma. Collin looked at the man, seeing a wide grin on his face. "It makes an ass out of you and me." he said before laughing. Collin couldn't help but join in with the laughter.

"Very true, very true." replied Collin. "I just hope this easy win streak keeps up." Suddenly, the door to the motel slammed opened....again. Standing at the door was Looker, panting and sweaty....again.

"Es ist ein Desaster!" he shouted out loud. "Sorry!" he said before anyone could comment on him using another language. "But we got a problem! Ultra Beast Xurkitree has been spotted in the Lush Jungle on Akala Island. The Trial Captain of the Lush Jungle reported it. We must get there now!" he said running out of the motel.

"Well, back to Akala we go. You know the song and dance, get to Lush Jungle and capture Xurkitree. We'll see you in the same motel we first met. Good luck." And with that, Anabel left Collin and Guzma on their own again.

"This is going to be a long day isn't it?" asked Guzma.

"A very, very long day." replied Collin. "Let's go see Mallow, she'll catch us up to speed." They walked out of the motel and summoned Charizard and flew to Akala Island, wondering what will face them next

* * *

When they landed outside the Lush Jungle, there was music coming from deep inside the jungle. Standing at the entrance was Mallow herself, looking extremely angry. She turned to see Collin and Guzma and stormed up to them.

"Please Collin! You gotta help me here!" she cried out.

"That's the idea. What's going on?" he asked.

"Some Ultra Beast is in the Lush Jungle, making a mess!" she shouted. "I can't get it to calm down."

"Why? Too powerful?" asked Guzma.

"No....it's protected by raving teens." she said. This confused the two males, waiting for her to explain. "Ugh, some teens that were in the Jungle were playing music when the thing came. It started dancing to the music and the next thing I know, more and more teens came and started a rave in there. The poor Pokemon's homes are being destroyed and they don't seem to care. Please you got to do something!"

"Okay, where about is the rave taking place?" asked Collin.

"At the far end of the jungle. Thank you for at least giving it a go. If this doesn't work, then the police is getting involved and that's a headache of itself." she said.

"Tell me about it. Let's go Collin." The two entered the jungle and already the music was louder. They went all the way to the far end and saw a bunch of teens, no than fifteen years of age, dancing and jumping, while in the middle stood Xurkitree, waving it's arms and bending left and right while the music pounded loudly throughout the dance.

"So you think you can control this Collin?" asked Guzma, looking at the teens dancing. Collin wasn't sure if he could honestly. Yes the Ultra Beast wasn't attacking, but could attack at any moment, leading to a lot of injured teens. Suddenly, a light bulb went off in his head.

"I think I have an idea." he said, getting out of the bushes they were hiding in and walking over to the rave. "Hey! Who said you could rave here?" he asked.

"Hey look! It's the Champ!" said one of the teens. "You joining the rave?" he asked.

"Nope, I'm here to stop it. You do know this is illegal right? To throw a party in a protected area?"

"Oh shut up square!" said a female. "We're just having fun with our new friend here!" she said, pointing to the Xurkitree. Collin smirked and began his plan.

"Okay tell you what, let's make a deal. My Pokemon will have a dance off with Xurkitree here. If they win, you guys need to pack everything up and leave." he said.

"And if they loose?" asked a teen.

"Then you can stay here and party." said Collin. Guzma came out of the bushes and stood by him.

"Collin, the hell are you doing?" he whispered.

"Shh, I know what I'm doing. Trust me." he said, giving a wink. "Do we have a deal?" The teens talked among themselves before coming to a conclusion.

"Deal. Let's see your Pokemon dance!" shouted one of the kids. Collin couldn't help but smirk at the cockiness of the kids and took out two Poke Balls.

"With pleasure. Go Electivire! Go Klefki!" he shouted and both Pokemon came out. "Klefki, use Magic Room!" he shouted. Klefki cried and suddenly the whole area was covered in white and grey tile patches, that changed every second making it look like a dance floor.

"I see what you're doing." said Guzma, smirking at the idea.

"Heh, Okay Electivire, show these kids how it's done." he said. Electivire got into the middle of the "dance floor", right in front of Xurkitree. Collin played a different song on the radio and a techno heavy song started to play. Instantly, Electivire began to dance in time with the music. It started doing all kinds of dance moves, the shuffle, break dancing, even the worm. Poor Xutkitree couldn't keep up due to it's sheer size and inability to move around the "dance floor". By the time the song ended, Xurkitree was tired out, lending backwards, while Electivire was panting like crazy, but still stood it's ground. "Okay that's enough, I think they get the point. Klefki, get rid of the Magic Room." The area turned back to it's jungle form, with everyone speechless.

"How the hell did Electivire do that?!" shouted Guzma.

"Well when you were apart of a dance troupe as an Elekid, you'd be able to dance too." he said with a smirk. He then turned to the teens, who were still speechless. "Okay everyone, pack up your shit and get going. And yes, that includes waste." The teens grumbled and they began to pick up their mess, while Guzma went up to Xurkitree.

"Alright, let's get you home." he said, using the Beast Ball on it and the Xurkitree was captured. By the time the teens left the jungle, Mallow came in and her face was nothing short of glee.

"Oh thank you both. I really should buckle down on having people here. It's not the first time it's happened." she confessed.

"What do you mean?" asked Collin.

"It seems that just before school starts, everyone comes here to rave. No matter how hard I try, they always come." she said. "But at least it didn't last long this year. Thank you both. You're welcome to a nice big meal."

"We'll hold you to that Mallow, we need to get back to work." said Collin, despite an upset Guzma. "We'll see you later." The two left the jungle with Guzma still upset about not eating.

"I'm fucking starving here kid!" he shouted.

"Look, once we finish this we'll have food. Trust me, she cooks a mean dish so you want to prepare yourself." Guzma didn't like the sound of his voice, making him doubt he'd enjoy Mallow's food. But that was all to come, as they made they way back to the motel once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No joke, imagine Jellyfish Jam for the dance off and you get the idea. Reviews and comments of any nature are welcomed and as always, I'll see you in the next chapter. Cheerio!


	36. Cutting Edge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this should be the last short chapter of the fic. Only two more chapters to go, so buckle up. What happens when an Ultra Beast is cutting the grass? Simple, you help it! Enjoy the chapter!

**Chapter 35-Cutting Edge**

Like before, Collin and Guzma returned to the motel to give Looker and Anabel the Ultra Beast. Only this time, something was different. Instead of Looker being there, Nanu was talking to Anabel, before turning to see the two enter the room.

"Nanu? What are you doing here?" asked Collin.

"Hmph. I should be asking you the same thing. What is it with you and getting into trouble? First Po Town, then Aether, now this. You need a break kid." he said with a smirk across his face.

"Well that was the plan, but this came up." he said. Nanu looked at Guzma and narrowed his eyes.

"I thought you said you were going home? Helping the Champ huh?" he asked.

"I guess. I mean he asked me to help him and I had nothing better to do." said Guzma.

"Going back to what I said, why are you here?" asked Collin.

"Nanu came to me saying that there is a possible sighting of an Ultra Beast on Poni Island. We haven't gotten any word on what it is or how powerful it is, but there is evidence of one being there." said Anabel.

"She's right. I better go back to Poni. You two stay low for now." said Nanu. "And you," he said, pointing at Anabel. "Stay out of this. If the Ultra Beast on Poni is who I think it is, I want you to keep away. That's an order." Without another word, he left the room.

"Wow, Nanu is actually scary when he's like that." said Guzma.

"What the hell was that all about?" asked Collin.

"Nanu was mine and Looker's superior. He did a lot of Ultra Beast tracking when he was apart of the International Police." she explained. Guzma started to grin and laugh out of nowhere.

"Nanu? Doing something? You're joking!" he said, continuing to laugh.

"Yes it seems impossible to think, but it's true." she said, laughing herself.

"Well that's all well and good." said Collin, laughing as well. "By the way, where's Looker?"

"He's gone out to get food. He should be back-" she said, before the door slammed opened and, yet again, a panting and sweaty Looker was standing there. "...right now."

"Is tubaiste é!" he shouted.

"....fucking really now?" said Collin. "Speak English for once when you come in."

"I can't help it! But no time for that, we got another problem! UB-04 Kartana as been sighted at Malie Garden on Ula Ula. We need to get there now!" he shouted and ran out the building. Anabel sighed and got up from her chair.

"Do I even have to say it?" she asked, turning to the two.

"Nope." they both said.

"Good. We'll see you at the motel on Ula Ula." she said before leaving the room. Shortly after, Collin and Guzma left the room and were ready to take off.

"Are you sure this will be worth it?" asked Guzma.

"Well aside from family bonding, it better be." replied Collin as he summoned Charizard and the two flew from Akala to Ula Ula Island.

* * *

Landing just outside of Malie Garden, Guzma and Collin noticed that there was bits of grass flying in the air at a fast rate. The two walked inside to see a crowd watching what they assumed was Kartana, cutting the grass of the garden with blistering speed. Everyone was cheering and clapping while this was going on, which confused the two. They saw a man dressed up in an outfit that said "Malie Garden Maintenance" on the back.

"Sorry, but what's going on here?" asked Collin to the man.

"Oh well this little guy is cutting the grass in the garden." he explained.

"Isn't that a bad thing?" asked Guzma.

"Nah, this garden needed a good trimming and all the Pokemon here are safe. The problem is that it loves cutting the grass so much it's not leaving." the man said. "Not even taking a break." Collin watched at the sharp blades of the Pokemon cut right past them, sending more grass into the air. Suddenly, an idea popped into his head.

"I'm sure I can get this grass cut with a little bit of help." he said, getting his Poke Ball out. "Go Gliscor" he shouted and out came the sharped claw Pokemon. "Alright buddy I need you to help Kartana with the grass. Think you can do that?" With a nod, Gliscor flew past Kartana and began to cut the grass with it. The crowd watched as they cut, as if it was a race to see who could cut the most. Guzma was watching it, confused.

"I thought your Pokemon liked battling. But all they have been doing is talking, dancing and other stuff." he said. "Wouldn't they get bored of all of this?"

"You'd be surprised." replied Collin. "Sometimes they get bored of battling. Same thing day in and day out. The fact that their first time in Alola doesn't involved battling must be good for them because they've been happy."

"What about Onslaught?" asked Guzma. Collin chuckled at his question.

"Onslaught? He lives for battles. Anytime he finds a chance to fight he takes it. But he's extremely dangerous to handle." he confessed.

"How so?" Collin pulled up his shorts to show Guzma a nasty scar that hit in the shorts. "Ooh, that's gotta hurt."

"It did. One thing you should know about Hydreigon's, don't let them use Outrage unless you either have your Poke Ball at the ready, or have a death wish. They can get nasty and attack you without warning. They grow up to fight, they learn to fight, they breed to fight." he said, sounding more and more menacing. "You gotta have the balls to train with one consistently at a young age if you even want them to respect you. Even then they are dangerous."

"Sheesh. Remind me to keep away from Onslaught if you ever use him." said Guzma.

"Hopefully I won't need to." Just as they were finished talking, Kartana and Gliscor finished cutting the grass. The crowd cheered and clapped the now freshly cut Malie Garden.

"Well that's made the job much easier. Won't have to do it till next year." said the maintenance man as he and the crowd walked off and began to do their normal daily duties. Meanwhile, Guzma went up to Kartana and managed to catch it within the Beast Ball, while Collin returned Gliscor to his own ball.

"Well that was another waste of time." said Guzma, sounding mad. "Why am I even here? I've done fucking nothing ever since you called me a few hours ago."

"It's not my fault." said Collin, getting defensive. "I thought this was going to be battle after battle. Which would you rather have?"

"I'd rather we do something of interest rather than picking up shit!" shouted Guzma.

"They why DID you come?!"

"BECAUSE I WANT TO GET TO KNOW MY SON WHO FOR EIGHTEEN YEARS I NEVER HEARD ABOUT!" shouted Guzma. All of what Collin wanted to say was gone. How could he come back from something like that. Guzma was panting like crazy, trying to calm himself down. "Sorry."

"No, it's okay." said Collin, walking up to him. "I wish this was more eventful, but I swear to you it will be worth your while dad." Guzma looked at Collin with shock all over his face.

"Did you just-"

"I did." Collin smiled and began to walk. "Let's get to the motel and drop off this Ultra Beast."

"Sure....son." The two walked side by side, now seeing eye to eye. Perfect timing too, as their next challenge will be one of the toughest they ever faced.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it was a rushed ending, but trust me when I say the next chapter will have a lot more father/son bonding. Now I'll try to get the next chapter up tomorrow, but it might take me a day so keep that in mind place. Reviews and comments of any nature are welcomed and as always, I'll see you in the next chapter. Cheerio!


	37. Hungry for battle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's the end of the Ultra Beast Side Quest. You know which one is next. Can Collin and Guzma take down their biggest challenge together yet? Or will they fail? Read the chapter to find out. Enjoy!

**Chapter 36-Hungry for battle**

Like the last few times, Collin and Guzma went to the motel Looker and Anabel were staying. However, this time something was off. After asking the reception about the room the two were staying in, all they did was give them a letter.

"What does it say?" asked Guzma. Collin shrugged and opened the letter. It read;

_Collin and Guzma,_

_Meet us at Seafolk Village on Poni Island. We will be at the restaurant. We found the last Ultra Beast sighted in Alola, and it's bad. We'll talk more when you meet us. Get here now._

_-Looker and Anabel_

"Shit, what do you think it is?" asked Guzma.

"I have a hunch." said Collin, sighing. "We better not waste any time. If this is the last one, we better prepare ourselves." The two got onto Charizard and flew to Seafolk Village. There wasn't much of a crowd, considering it was now nighttime. They spotted the restaurant and entered. At one of the tables in the back were Looker, Anabel and Nanu, eating dinner it seemed. They walked over to the group and joined them.

"Glad you two could come on such a short notice." said Looker.

"Whatever. Let's make this quick, something tells me we shouldn't waste any time." said Collin, sounding annoyed. Nanu only smirked at the Champion.

"Heh, want this over with already kid? I know the feeling." he said, still with the smirk on his face. "Anyway, Anabel," he said, calling the young woman to attention. "tell these two who they are up against." Anabel swallowed her food and took a deep breath.

"The Ultra Beast you are going to be tracking down is UB-05, Guzzlord. One of the strongest Ultra Beasts out there that we know of. It's the very reason why I'm here." she said.

"Exactly. This thing isn't like the other UB's you faced. Those ones are mostly harmless unless they are attacked, but Guzzlord shows no mercy." said Looker, butting in. "It will eat anything in sight. You name it. People, Pokemon, buildings, farmland. It would eat the ocean if possible."

"Which is why you want me and Collin to fight it?" asked Guzma, sounding dumbfounded. "You're out of your fucking mind."

"Look I have no Pokemon, Anabel can't go near the thing, and Nanu is too lazy to do it." said Looker sounding just as annoyed, getting a grunt from Nanu as a result. "You are the only two we can trust to do this. If you can pull if off, we will make it worth your while. Trust us." Collin looked away for a moment and began to think.

"You better not be fucking with us, or I swear I'll rain down hell on you three." he said with a dark voice that even made Guzma shake. "Now where was Guzzlord spotted?" Nanu, who was the only one who wasn't phased by Collin's threat, spoke up.

"It was spotted in Resolution Cave northwest of Poni Meadow. You two better get going before it leaves. If it gets out of that cave, who knows what it could do." he said.

"Once you are done, meet us at Aether Paradise. We'll be handing the Ultra Beasts to them and they'll send them home." said Anabel.

"Fine, let's go Dad." The look of confusion on the three was enough to make Collin calm down.

"But I haven't eaten!" he shouted.

"We'll get food AFTER okay!" shouted Collin, his smile fading. Guzma grumbled and they left the restaurant. "I haven't eaten a thing all day."

"Neither have I so I know what you're going through. We get this over with and we'll get some food okay?" Guzma only nodded and they continued their way to Resolution Cave. Along the way, Guzma thought of something.

"So do you consider me.....you know....a dad now?" he asked.

"Well I've called you Dad twice already so I think it's safe to assume I do."

"Yeah but....it seems so quick. One minute you're calling me by my name, the next I'm dad." Guzma had a point and it's something Collin knew. At the same time, Collin had his answer.

"It's what mom would have wanted." he said simply. "I'm sure if she was still here, she'd run into your arms." Guzma looked away, trying not to let the tears well up in his eyes. Another thought came into his head.

"Where is that Lillie girl by the way? She seemed attached to you all the time." The smile across Collin's face fell at the mention of Lillie's name.

"She went to Kanto to help her mother recover and go on her own journey." he said, with a hint of a whimper in his voice. "She didn't tell me until the night before she left." Suddenly he perked up. "But I know she'll come back someday. And when she does, she'll be the best damn trainer Alola will ever see."

"Heh, my son's got a girlfriend." said Guzma, smirking.

"Shut up!" shouted Collin and he pushed him off the path and started laughing. The two continued to mess around as they walked their way to Resolution Cave.

* * *

Avoiding conflict with other trainers and Pokemon, the two managed to get to Resolution Cave without a scratch. The cave itself was dark and damp, with only the light of Collin's torch lighting the way through.

"Take it easy here, we don't know where we are going." said Collin.

"How are we going to find it?" asked Guzma.

"Feel along the walls, like a maze. As long as we keep one hand to one wall, we'll loop around in case we get lost." They continued their way through the dark cave when suddenly, there was a low growling coming from deep in the cave. "You hear that?"

"Yeah, sounded like my stomach." Collin looked at Guzma with a blank face.

"Would you shut up about being hungry. We must be close." They continued to go deeper when they noticed some light coming from deep within the cave with the sound of the growl coming from that direction. "It must be down there. Get ready." They slowly made their way down to the light. When they entered, there was a hole shining moonlight into the massive room. They couldn't pay attention to it too much as a loud crash almost made them fall over.

"Careful Collin!" shouted Guzma. Another crash happened when a massive black Pokemon with a mouth the size of a house was right in front of them, roaring wildly. "You're a big fucker!" shouted Guzma.

"No time for jokes Dad! Go Onslaught!" shouted Collin, sending out his most powerful Pokemon on his team.

"Oh right! Go Golisopod!" Both Pokemon were now out on the field, standing side by side ready to attack. "Let's start off strong! First Impression!" Golisopod charged forward and directly hit the massive Ultra Beast. However, it didn't seem to do any damage. "Shit! This thing is tough!" Guzzlord used one of it's massive arms to swing at Golisopod. "Dodge!" It barely managed to dodge, but lost it's balance and fell over, open for attack. The arm swung up into the air, ready to hit the fallen Pokemon.

"DRAGON RUSH!" shouted Collin. Onslaught the Hygreigon slammed it's body up against the Ultra Beast, sending it back. "Is Golisopod okay?" he asked. Guzma went over to check his Pokemon.

"Yeah he's fine, just fell over. Get up buddy we ain't done yet!" Golisopod got to it's feet and was ready again. "Liquidation!" shouted Guzma. Golisopod was covered in water and charged forward again, hitting Guzzlord. The attacks from both sides continued, with minimal results, as the Ultra Beast stood up to every attack they threw at it. Suddenly, it's massive arm swung at not the Pokemon, but Collin and Guzma. Guzma managed to dodge but Collin was sent flying. "COLLIN!" shouted Guzma as he fell to the ground.

"I'm fine!" he shouted, getting back up. The Ultra Beast was fair too strong for them to take out little by little. After weighing out his options, Collin too a deep breath and prepared himself. "OUTRAGE!" shouted Collin. Something inside Onslaught snapped, it's eyes glowed red and the rage inside it build up. With blistering speed, the Dragon Pokemon rushed forward and start hitting Guzzlord with blow after blow, bite after bite. Guzzlord had no chance to counter due to the speed Onslaught was attacking. When it finally stopped, Guzzlord struggled to get up from the ground, leaving it open. "Guzma! Beast Ball now!" he shouted.

"Right!" Guzma took out a Beast Ball and threw it to Guzzlord. The ball captured the Ultra Beast and within three shakes, the massive Pokemon was caught. "HELL YEAH!" shouted Guzma, picking up the Beast Ball. Collin walked up to him with a smile.

"Glad that's over Da-" he said just as he was thrown halfway across the room.

"SON!" shouted Guzma as he saw who threw him. It was none other than Onslaught, still in rage over the Outrage. Guzma ran back, but Onslaught seemed to not pay attention to him as he set his eyes on Collin. Collin got up and began to take out Onslaught's Poke Ball, only to find it was not on his belt.

"Shit!" He looked around to see it close by, on the ground. Just as he was about to move, Onslaught was already in front of him and used the teeth in its heads to slash at Collin, hitting his face. "AH!" he shouted and he limped away. Onslaught caught up to him in no time and just as he was about to slash at him again, he was sent flying away from Collin.

"Nice job buddy!" shouted Guzma. Golisopod used Liquidation and bought Collin the time to get his Poke Ball. Just as Onslaught recovered and charged at Collin, he used the Poke Ball and Onslaught returned to the Ball as if nothing happened. The room was now silent, aside from panting from Collin.

"Thanks Dad." he said, getting up to his feet. He felt his face and he felt a massive gash across his left cheek. "Fuck, that's another scar." he said. He took medical supplies out of his bag and began to dress and clean the gash.

"Shouldn't you get that checked?" asked Guzma.

"Well unless a nurse can pop out of thin air, no." he said. "Right, well now you see why I don't like using that move. Thanks again Dad."

"No problem...Son." The two smiled at each other and came together for a hug. An awkward hug, but a hug nonetheless. "So what now?"

"We need to get to Aether and get this bastard home. But first, let's get take-away." The mentioning of food made Guzma's eyes widen.

"THANK FUCK!"

* * *

With their stomachs full and Collin patched up properly, the two flew to Aether Paradise. After asking the desk were Looker and Anabel were, they were directed to head down to the lower labs. Once down there, they entered a room that had Looker, Anabel and Wicke all standing by. The first thing they noticed, of course, was the patched up Collin.

"Oh my Acreus what happened to you dear!?" asked Wicke, horrified.

"Did Guzzlord do this?" asked Anabel. Collin waved his hand in the air to get them to stop.

"Nah, my own Pokemon was confused and hit me. I'm fine, though it's gonna scar." he said. "Anyway, here's the Ultra Beast." Guzma handed the Beast Ball to Wicke, who was already carrying the other four on a tray.

"Thank you so much for doing this. We'll be sending these Ultra Beasts home as soon as possible." she said, bowing her head. "Well I best make my leave and find out where exactly to send these off to. Again, thank you so much." Without another word, Wicke left the room and the door closed behind her. Anabel looked at the two and smiled.

"I should extend my thanks and apologies too. I know we have asked a lot from you today, but Collin," she said before taking a breath. "you have done more for us than we could ever imagine. We are extremely sorry for everything we asked for you to do since Sinnoh. So, we are keeping to the deal. You will no longer be approached by us." Collin let out a massive sigh.

"Thanks Anabel." he said.

"There's more, and this is for the both of you. Looker." she said, calling him to attention.

"Yes. On behalf of the International Police, the two of you have been giving a million poke dollars each." he said, handing over a fat stack of cash to the two of them. "Also Guzma, your petty crimes from you and your group have been wiped away." he said with a smile. Guzma tried his best to keep the tears in his eyes from welling up.

"T-T-Thank you!" he said, covering his eyes.

"It's no problem, you deserve it." said Anabel. "I believe that's all. We'll still be around Alola for a little while so if their is any favor you need, please come to us and we'll see what we can do." With that, Anabel left the room. Looker followed, just before stopping. He took Collin's hand and shook it.

"I guess this is the last time we'll see each other as work mates." he said.

"I guess." replied Collin. "Be careful Looker."

"Same to you. Best of luck Collin, where ever you go." Looker finally let go of his hand and walked out of the room. Collin sighed and turned to a still giddy Guzma.

"I can't believe it, a million poke dollars! I never thought I'd get ten thousand! This is amazing." he said. Collin couldn't help but laugh at his dad's giddiness. He looked at his own stack and smiled fondly. Without a second thought, he handed his stack to Guzma. "What are you doing?"

"Take it." he said. "Don't even argue take it." he said before Guzma could even open his mouth. Carefully, he took the stack from Collin.

"But why?"

"I don't need it. I have enough money to last me forever. All the battling and competitions I won stack up you know?" he said. "Dad, use that money to fix Po Town. Or at least make it look better. Use it as a home for all those grunts, a proper home."

".....I will. Thank you so much Collin." he said.

"And if you need more money to help with fixing it, don't hesitate to come to me." All Guzma could do was tackle him into the biggest Ursaring hug he ever had.

"Please, you've done more than enough." he said. "I better get going, to tell Plumeria the news."

"Yeah you do that. I'll talk to you soon Dad."

"I hope so Son. See you in Po Town." Guzma left and Collin was on his own. He was just about to call it a day before something came across his mind. He needed to make a phone call. A very important phone call.

* * *

"Collin, happy to here from you, bastard." said the person over the phone. Collin couldn't help but laugh.

"Same to you Silver." he replied.

"I haven't heard from you in almost two months. What's going on?"

"Yeah sorry about that, things got a little busy and I had no time to settle down. How's Kris?" he asked.

"Ah she's fine. Had a bit of trouble at the Day Care but nothing to serous."

"And baby Lyra?"

"Lyra is happy, she's close to walking. You should come over sometime to see her." suggested Silver.

"I should. Next time I'm free I'll pay you a visit." he said. He knew he was beating around the bush, avoiding the reason why he called. "Silver, I have something to tell you."

"I know that voice. Is it something bad?" he asked.

"Depends on how you think about it." Collin took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "Silver......we aren't related." The other end of the phone was silent.

"What do you mean?"

"You know how mom was with Giovanni when I was a baby?" Collin heard a noise from the other end, as a sign of confirmation. "Well turns out she was carrying me when she was in Alola. A few weeks before moving to Kanto."

"Oh wow.....do you know who the father is?" asked Silver.

"Yeah I do. He was a leader of a small time gang but he's surprisingly nice once you get to know him. Better than Giovanni that's for sure." he said, before regretting it. "Sorry I said that."

"No it's fine." Silver assured. "So....we aren't brothers by blood."

"Yeah.....I'm sorry Silver. If you want to stop calling me brother that's fine. I understand."

"Shut up." said Silver, cutting him off. "I don't care. I've known you for what, six years now and we've been through a lot. There is no way in hell I'm dropping this because of some stupid DNA. We are brothers Collin." Collin was speechless, he didn't know what to say. "No one has to know. As far as everyone else knows, we are still related. Even then it doesn't matter. So stop fucking worrying about it."

"....thanks Silver. I shouldn't have worried over it." he said with a hint of a laugh.

"Again it's fine." Suddenly the sound of crying could be heard over the phone. "Shit, I need to go. Lyra is awake. I'll call you later."

"Heh, troubles being a dad. I'll talk to you later." The phone went dead and Collin relaxed on his couch at home, turning on the TV. He wasn't really paying attention to what was on, some show called Chatter Box, when his phone buzzed. He picked it up and it was a message from Kukui.

_Hey cousin, I have the first person who is ready to challenge you after your break. It's none other than Hau. You better watch yourself, he's pretty tough this time.-Kukui._

Collin smirked at the message and set his phone down. He was looking forward to this, to see how good Hau has become and to see if his can take his title away. The battle will be worth it, that's for sure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo! One more chapter to go! This was interesting to write and I do hope it came out okay. Reviews and comments of any nature are welcomed and as always, I'll see you in the final chapter. Cheerio!


	38. Settling in (Finally)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here we are. The final chapter. I never thought I'd get this far with this fic, but I did. So, Collin's next Title Fight is with his friend Hau. Can he win and keep is title? Or will Hau swoop the victory? Find out in the last chapter of Pokemon: The Alola Adventure. Enjoy!

**Chapter  37-Settling in (Finally)**

Two weeks after the "Family Ultra Beast Hunting" as Collin calls it, he returns to the Pokemon League, his Alolan team on his belt, ready for his next fight. Knowing who was going to face him for the title of Champion make him excited. He knew Hau has been training for this moment for quite a while now and he hopes that it could be a good fight. He heard the sound of footsteps walking up the stairs and his eyes met a smiling Hau.

"Hey Collin! I'm here!" he said, proudly.

"You sure are. Well done getting this far Hau." Collin got up from his chair and stood in the arena. "You know, when Kukui texted me that you were going to challenge me once I got back from my break, I was smiling. I couldn't wait for this moment."

"Really?" asked Hau, sounding stunned.

"Of course. We've traveled together and I've seen you grown as a Trainer and a person. And I want to see if all that training has worked out." Collin took out his first Poke Ball out at random and placed it in his hand. "SHOW ME WHAT YOU GOT HAU!"

"HELL YEAH!" The two had their Poke Balls at the ready and without saying the names of the Pokemon, they threw them. On Hau's side stood Flareon and on Collin's stood Nebby, Solgaleo. If it was anyone else, they would have quit right away upon seeing the Legendary Pokemon. But Hau stood his ground, he smirked at the giant Pokemon that towered over his Flareon. But he was calm and collected. "Quick Attack!" shouted Hau. Flareon rushed forward and hit the massive Legendary, but seemed to do no damage.

"Cute Hau." said Collin. "My turn. Sunsteel Strike." Solgaleo jumped into the air and its forehead glowed.

"Flare Blitz!" shouted Hau. Flareon jumped into the air and it's body was surrounded by fire and strikes Solgaleo before it could finish the move. The fire burned through Solgaleo, knocking it out of the sky and crash landing onto the ground, fainted.

"......well shit. Nebby return!" said Collin and the Legendary Pokemon returned to the ball. "There goes my ace. How did you know to do that?"

"I read up on Solgaleo." he said simply.

".....fair enough." Collin took out his next Ball and threw it. Out came Salazzle, hissing at Flareon. "Alright no more fooling around, Venoshock!" he shouted.

The battle raged on for what seemed like forever. With Collin's ace in the hole out of commission already, the battle was intense. Collin stuck with Salazzle for a while, taking out Hau's Flareon. Afterwards, Hau sent out his Raichu, which did quick work to Salazzle. Collin sent out Crabominable and due to her huge physical attack, took Raichu out with one clean Close Combat. Hau sent out Tauros and despite Crabominable using Close Combat, the Tauros stood and using Iron Head, Crabominable fell, defeated.

"Yeah! Well done Tauros!" shouted Hau. Collin called back his Crabominable and smiled.

"You've been training your team well Hau." he said, before his smile turned into a smirk. "But I'm not out of the woods yet. Go Empoleon!" Collin threw the ball and out came Empoleon, flexing his long wings. "You ready buddy?"

"Empoleon!" he cried.

"Awesome. Hydro Pump!" Empoleon's mouth opened wide and a massive jet of water shot from it, heading straight to Tauros.

"Dodge!" shouted Hau. Tauros attempted to dodge, but the water came too fast and directly hit Tauros, knocking it out. "Return!" Tauros returned to it's ball and Hau got his next Pokemon ready. "Go Noivern!" The giant bat came out of it's ball and was ready to take on Empoleon. Noivern proved to be way too fast for Empoleon to keep up, and with one final Dragon Pulse, Empoleon was down. Collin called back Empoleon and sent out Mimikyu to take out the Noivern. Hau wasn't fully prepared for Mimikyu, as he forgot about the Disguise ability he had, and with one simple Play Rough, Noivern was out for the count. Hau then sent out his own Crabominable and due to Mimikyu's Disguise ability already gone, it made quick work of the small Pokemon with an Ice Hammer. Collin only had one more usable Pokemon, while Hau had two. He had to make this count.

"Go Decidueye!" he shouted. Out came Decidueye as he flexed his wings, ready for battle. "Get ready buddy, it's all down to you."

"Hoo!" cried Decidueye.

"Yeah buddy! Leaf Blade!" Decidueye's wing sharped and sliced down onto Crabominable cleanly. But it was still standing.

"Ice Hammer!" shouted Hau. Decidueye saw the massive fist of Crabominable raise into the air and dodged the fist, only for it to hit the side of Decidueye, causing major damage but not enough to knock him out.

"Nice one buddy! Spirit Shackle!" Decidueye used his bow like feathers to shoot an arrow directly at Crabominable, causing enough damage to knock the massive Pokemon out. "Yes!"

"Return! You did a great job." Hau was still standing, with one Pokemon left and Collin knew for sure who it was. "This is it, don't give up. GO PRIMARINA!" he shouted. His final Pokemon was now on the field, it was neck and neck and only one could win.

"Let's get this over with! UNLEASH Z-MOVE!" shouted Collin as he twisted the Decidium Z on his Z-Ring, preforming the Ghost Z-Move dance and powered up Decidueye. "NOW USE SINISTER ARROW RAID!" Countless arrows began to form around Decidueye and he began to rush towards Primarina, shooting arrow after arrow at the Pokemon. When the smoke cleared and all the arrows gone, Collin was shocked to find that Primarina was still standing "WHAT?!"

"WELL DONE PRIMARINA! LET'S SHOW HIM OUR Z-MOVE!" shouted Hau as he twisted his own Primarium Z on his Z-Ring, did the Water Z-Move dance and powered up Primarina. "NOW USE OCEANIC OPERETTA!" Primarina used it's voice to summon a massive ball of water that almost broke the glass dome in the League. Genitally, it glided the ball towards Decidueye to enclose him in the ball of water. With one final use of it's voice, the ball burst open and damaged Decidueye, and Primarina took a well deserved bow as Decidueye lay on the ground, defeated. Collin was out of Pokemon, he lost.

* * *

"........I......I can't believe it!" said Hau, stuttering and barely able to speak at all. "I-I won.....I actually won!" he said as he ran to Primarina and hugged his Pokemon. Collin went over to Decidueye to see if he was okay.

"You did good buddy, be proud. Return." Decidueye returned to his ball and Collin walked up to Hau. "Well......I said you'd beat me one day, and you did. All I have to say is, well done Hau." he said, extending his hand

"Thank you Collin." he said, shaking Collin's hand. "But.....aren't you upset about this?" he asked. Collin didn't expect him to ask the question, but he smiled.

"I'll admit, there is a small bit of me that is. But the feeling I have of seeing you win outweighs it by a lot. You have proved to me that you can do it. And there is no one I'm more than happy to see as Champion."

"You really mean that?" asked Hau, with tears in his eyes.

"I one hundred percent believe that Hau. You'll be a great Champion, better than me." When he finished that sentance, Hau rushed over to Collin and gave him the biggest hug of his life.

"Thank you for believing in me. I never thought someone like you would be my friend or even consider me as a Champion." he said.

"It was all there from the start, you just needed the push." The hug ended with both of them smiling. "Come on, we got a Hall of Fame to go to." They walked side by side to the elevator and went down to the main floor, where Kukui met them.

"Hey you two!" he greeted them. "So...who won?" he asked. Collin face couldn't hold it and a wide grin appeared on his face.

"Kukui, say hello to your new Champion!" he said, pointing to Hau. The next few hours went by extremely quick. Hau was written into the Hall of Fame, got his rights as a Champion and, like before with Collin, a party was being held at Iki Town for the new Champion. Just like before, everyone turned up to celebrate the new Champion and a bunch of activities were being held. Even Gladion showed up, who was getting extremely close to Hau. Collin caught on to it and gave a little wink to Hau, knowing what was going on. Hala came to the stage in front of the whole town.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I'd like to thank you for coming here tonight for this big celebration of my grandson. He has come a long way and I couldn't be prouder. Now I'm not good with speeches so I'll hand it over to our former Champion and friend, Collin." Everyone began to clap and Hala got off the stage and Collin took his place.

"Ahem. It's rare that I do this sort of thing so forgive me if I mess up." he said, making the crowd laugh. "When I came here to Alola, Hau was one of the first of the many residents of Alola that I met and already I knew he was going to be amazing. His strong will to never give up and the way he trains himself to get better is one of the best things any Trainer could do. When he came to face me earlier today, I saw full confidence in his eyes. He was ready to face me, more than ready. There is no one I could think, at this point in time, who would the best choice of Champion of Alola, than Hau. So please, raise your glass or whatever it is you are holding and say "To Hau!""

"TO HAU!" everyone shouted as they drank their beverage. Collin got off the stage and continued to watch from the sidelines. What he didn't expect was Kukui to come up beside him. 

"Hey cousin, how are you feeling?" he asked.

"Fine. Happy even, I'm glad I don't have to be Champion now. It wasn't for me and Hau will be a way better Champion than me."

"I have no doubt about that. But I've been meaning to ask you something." This caught Collin's attention and he turned to the professor. "What are you going to do now? I mean your journey is over, you're not Champion any more and all the Trials are done." Collin looked stumped.

"Honestly.....I have no idea." he confessed. "I was more worried about taking my break rather than thinking about what I was going to do while staying here." Kukui had a thought about it, turned to Collin and an idea came to his head.

"Actually, I might have just the thing." he said.

* * *

***Two Months Later*  
**

"Hello Lillie?"

"Hey Collin!" said Lillie over the phone. "How are you?"

"I'm doing great. I'm just about to start my first day. I hope I'll be good enough for the kids."

"Oh Collin, if there is anyone who should be a teacher, it's you." she said with confidence. "You know so much about Pokemon and their moves and everything in between. You're perfect for the job."

"Yeah let's see if I can do that while speaking to a bunch of kids." he said with a hint of snark in his voice. "How's everything going with you?"

"Perfect. Bill just gave us the go ahead on being able to get Mom back to normal. He said it might take a while though, but it's going to be worth it." she said. "I'll be heading to Pallet tomorrow to start my journey properly."

"Oh that's amazing Lille. Make sure you tell me what starter you're picking from Oak. How's Vulpix doing?"

"She's doing fantastic. She already has her first move and I couldn't be any more proud." Collin knew he could listen to her for hours, but time was running short.

"Listen Lillie, I need to get going. I'll talk to you after school is over."

"Okay. Talk to you later. Love you." she said.

"Love you too." The phone hanged up and Collin got his coat on, made sure his tie was straight, despite still wearing causal clothes, and headed out the door and made his way to the Trainer School. After showing his ID at the entrance, he met up with the Principle of the School, Asuka

"Ah Mr Clarkson, glad you could fill in for Emily." she said shaking his hand. "Normally teachers would need training to actually teach, but your experiences on the field is more than enough for you to be qualified."

"Thank you for giving me this chance Principle Asuka." he said.

"Please, it's just Asuka. Now your class is room one down the hall. The students are in there right now. Now you remember how to start today?" she asked.

"Introduce myself, have a roll call, go though a few basic things about being a Trainer, then class is over." he listed off.

"Exactly. You'll have no trouble I'm sure of it. I better get back to the office. If you need any help, don't hesitate to come and see me." she said, walking into her office, while Collin walked down the hall to see his class room. He could see the class from the small glass window and, like Asuka said, the kid were already inside waiting for him. Collin hesitated for a moment. He began to think about how he got here in life. Training and battling, facing criminals every region and taking down powerful Pokemon. It all became normal to him. But standing right outside a classroom, ready to teach kids how to be Trainers, a normal job to anyone, somehow made it more exciting. If this is what normal actually is, he can live with it. With one final nod, he opened the door and everyone looked at him.

"Good morning class. I'm Collin Clarkson, Mr Clarkson to you, and I'll be your teacher." he said, with a smile across his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And with that, the story has ended. I can't believe I've done it and I want to say thank you so much for reading if you got this far. Or even if you barely got through it. Even if you hated it, thank you for taking your time to read this story that has been cooking up in my head for such a long time. I want to give a massive thanks once again to Moonlight Butterfree. This guy has helped me so much with this story and without him/her/whatever, I'd never would have finished this story. Please check their stuff out on FFN or AO3, please. 
> 
> But even though this story is over, the story of Collin Clarkson isn't. Look out, for on the 2nd/3rd of September, Collin returns in Pokemon: The Ultra Adventure, taking place two years after the Alola Adventure. What will happen then? Find out on that day. 
> 
> With all that said, reviews and comments of any nature are welcomed and as always, I'll see you in the next fic. Cheerio!


End file.
